*Experts say loneliness plays a role in both time spent online and mental health outcomes in teens

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Many parents worry about how much time their teenagers are spending on the Internet in recent times.

Researchers from the Concordia University in a fresh study have explored the mental health risks associated with excessive time online.

The study findings revealed there is a strong correlation between teens鈥� Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and an increased risk of depression.

They explained that several factors such as loneliness and gender come into play, but mental health can be significantly affected by excessive time online.

Researcher Istv谩n T贸th-Kir谩ly said: 鈥淥ur study tries to understand this relationship in a bi-directional or reciprocal way.

鈥淲e think that PIU and depressive symptoms are likely to be co-occurring instead of one determining the other. They likely reinforce one another over time.鈥�

In establishing the link between depression and Internet use, and understanding the risks between PIU and depression, the researchers followed nearly 2,000 high school aged participants for three years.

The group reported on how much time they spent on the internet and how they felt about their social connections, their academic performances, their relationships with their parents or caregivers, and their overall mental health and wellness.

The researchers learned that those with higher levels of PIU were at an increased risk of developing depression-related symptoms.

They also found that several different factors made the participants more likely to spend excessive amounts of time on the Internet.

The study discovered that teenagers who felt neglected by their parents spent more time on devices.

The opposite was also true, that participants who felt more supported and cared for by their parents logged fewer hours online.

Both gender and loneliness also played a role in PIU; boys were more likely than girls to spend excessive time on the internet, and those who felt dissatisfied with their personal relationships were also more prone to PIU.

But when is Internet use problematic? Though there are mental health risks associated with excessive screen time, the researchers in the study explained that a lot of Internet time is not necessarily always problematic.

Some teens cycle in and out of spending tonnes of time online, and they鈥檙e able to successfully maintain other areas of their lives, including interpersonal relationships and academic performance.

The researchers offered parents some tangible signs to look for that could be an indication of PIU.

鈥淚f adolescents spend a lot of time on the internet but it doesn鈥檛 really impact their mental health or their grades or doesn鈥檛 seem to have any substantial negative consequences, then we cannot really say this is problematic behaviour,鈥� said T贸th-Kir谩ly.

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