Too Much Social Media A Mental Health Risk For Kids

The picture of Kate and her cousin Ellen may be more telling than we know! On the surface they appear normally abnormal- just a couple of wacky little kids having fun. But….like so many other kids today, these two fabulous little nut jobs are addicted to mine craft and so I have to wonder, can social media be far behind? The one concern among many is that there’s more research correlating excessive social media use with mental health problems in children and teenagers.

A study out of Great Britain shows children ages 10-15 who spend more than three hours a day on social media were significantly more likely to experience mental health problems than those who spent less than three hours on social media.

The number are 27 percent compared with 11 percent – two-and-a-half to one!

Overall, the study finds eight percent of kids in this age group spend three hours a day or more on social websites, while 56 percent spend under three hours a day, and 37 percent don’t spend any time at all on social websites.

The study also found girls –at 11%, were twice as likely as boys –at 5%, to spend over three hours a day on social media.

So fellow parents and grandparents be on guard and hold the line on on-line time. Right now the little ones just drive US crazy. We don’t want them doing that to themselves!