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It is well known that mental problems among young people are on the rise. A new study now reveals that the increased use of social media and streaming services is negatively contributing to this.
Social media and streaming threaten the life satisfaction of young people in Austria. Although a study for the “Mental Health Days,” in which responses from around 14,500 young people were evaluated, revealed a high level of life satisfaction in general, individual aspects such as depression are widespread. The online content consumed could play a role here, as was reported at a press conference in Vienna on Monday.
Social media threatens young people’s life satisfaction
According to one of the study’s authors, Tobias Dienlin, the young people surveyed, at an average age of 14, spent around four hours a day on their cell phones. While the use of messenger services, online games, or news consumption had no impact on life satisfaction, this was different for streaming services, particularly social media such as Instagram. “People generally show their good sides here, too,” said Dienlin. This distorted image is then often compared with people’s own—real—lives. “The effects may be small, but they are relevant,” said the author.
The majority of respondents feel depressed or hopeless
Overall, life satisfaction is very high, with 73% approval. “However, the values are decreasing slightly,” said Dienlin. Mental health problems also became apparent when specific questions were asked. In the survey, 86% stated that they had felt depressed or hopeless in the past two weeks. 28 percent even said that they thought they would rather be dead or inflict suffering on themselves.
The fact that mental problems are on the rise among young people has now also been proven in several international studies, as Paul Piener, another author of the study, said. It has also been established that the prescription of psychotropic drugs to young people has increased significantly. The multiple crises are the main causes: war, inflation, and climate change. Covid, on the other hand, is “no longer an issue.”
130,000 young people have attended “Mental Health Days” since then
To make the topic of mental health more tangible for young people, author Golli Marboe introduced “Mental Health Days” in schools in 2023. So far, the initiative has reached around 130,000 young people. The topics covered include bullying, body image, pressure to perform, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. According to Marboe, the demand is enormous. A total of 500 days are planned for 2025, but the costs of 1.5 million have not yet been fully financed despite funding. Paul Freysinger from the Federal Youth Council (BJV) also emphasized the great importance of support measures for mental health problems. He called for one psychologist per 1,000 pupils and one school social worker; otherwise, there is a risk of “a conflagration that will be very difficult to stop.”
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