One in Five Young People Spend More Than Two Hours a Day on TikTok

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

One in five young Spaniards spend more than two hours a day on TikTok and exceeds the recommended limits for the use of social media, which may lead to an increase in the likelihood of experiencing mental health problems. The proportion of girls whose use is above this risk threshold (24.37%) is considerably higher than that of boys (15.45%).

These are the results of a study involving the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). The paper was published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

While previous studies had examined the impact of social media on young people’s mental health in general terms, this research is pioneering in its analysis of the specific effects of TikTok on adolescents’ digital well-being.

The study surveyed more than 1,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 from all over Spain, to find out how much time they spend on TikTok, and the types of content they view. The researchers also examined their self-perception of their digital well-being. Digital well-being is deemed to be the state of optimal balance between time spent online and cognitive and emotional well-being.

This study measured three variables related to digital well-being: the young people’s ability to set limits for the time they spent using the application; their ability to create social connections and community; and their capacity for emotional resilience.

The research shows that more than half of the young people surveyed—53.19%—spend more than an hour a day on TikTok, 35.28% spend more than an hour and a half, and 20.22% spend more than two hours. Among girls, this latter percentage is significantly higher, at 24.37%. Several previous studies have found that using social media for more than two hours a day is associated with low self-esteem related to body image, a negative self-perception of mental health, and an increased risk of psychological distress and suicidal ideation.

Jiménez said, “The more time young people spend on TikTok, the less they are able to set limits on the time they spend using the app.”

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-young-people-dangerous-amount-tiktok.html?deviceType=desktop