Excessive social media use linked to mental health issues among youth

Excessive social media use was one of three factors significantly linked to mental health symptoms among youth in Singapore, according to findings from a study by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) released in 2024.

- Sandra Davie

The study found that young people who spent more than three hours daily on social media were more likely to experience symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress, said IMH and the National Healthcare Group (NHG) in a joint media statement in September 2024. The other two factors linked to such symptoms were experiences with cyberbullying and having moderate to severe concerns about one's body shape.

"About one in three young people aged between 15 and 35 years in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress," the statement said, adding that the symptoms did not necessarily indicate a mental disorder.

The National Youth Mental Health Study interviewed 2,600 young people between October 2022 and June 2023.

It was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.