子どもの長時間SNS利用と抑うつ・不安の増加の関連(Children’s extended social media use linked to increased depression and anxiety)

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2026-03-23 インペリアル・カレッジ・ロンドン(ICL)

英インペリアル・カレッジ・ロンドンの研究によると、子どもの長時間にわたるソーシャルメディア利用は、抑うつや不安の増加と関連することが明らかになった。特に思春期の若者において、利用時間の増加がメンタルヘルスの悪化と相関し、睡眠不足や自己評価の低下、社会的比較の影響が要因として指摘される。一方で適度な利用は必ずしも有害ではなく、使い方や環境が重要であるとされた。研究は、家庭や教育現場での利用管理やデジタルリテラシー教育の必要性を強調している。子どもの健全な発達を支えるため、バランスの取れたメディア利用が求められる。

子どもの長時間SNS利用と抑うつ・不安の増加の関連(Children’s extended social media use linked to increased depression and anxiety)

<関連情報>

ソーシャルネットワーキングサイトの利用と青年期の抑うつ症状および不安症状:縦断的コホート研究(SCAMP)からのエビデンス Social networking site use, depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study (SCAMP)

Chen Shen,Braulio M. Girela-Serrano,Martina Di Simplicio,Alexander Spiers,Iroise Dumontheil,Michael S. C. Thomas,Martin Röösli,Paul Elliott,Rachel B. Smith & Mireille B. Toledano
BMC Medicine  Published:03 February 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04667-5

Abstract

Background

The growing and pervasive use of social network sites (SNS) has raised concerns about their impact on adolescent mental health during this sensitive developmental phase. Existing longitudinal studies are constrained by methodological limitations and limited exploration of underlying mechanisms. We investigated the longitudinal associations between SNS use and depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and whether sleep mediated these associations.

Methods

We analysed longitudinal data from 2350 adolescents from 31 schools in London, participating in the Study of Cognition, Adolescents, and Mobile Phones (SCAMP). The exposure was self-reported duration of SNS use at baseline (aged 11–12 years). Outcomes were depressive and anxiety symptoms at follow-up, analysed as symptom severity and clinically significant symptoms (aged 13–15 years). The associations between SNS use and depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed via multi-level ordinal logistic regression (symptom severity) and logistic regression (clinically significant symptoms). The mediation effects of insufficient sleep, sleep onset latency, and sleep disturbance were assessed by mediation analysis.

Results

Compared to 0–30 min per day, more than 3 h per day of SNS use at baseline was associated with higher severity levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.47, 95% CI 1.12, 1.93 and OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.06, 1.83, respectively) and clinically significant depressive and anxiety symptoms at follow-up (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.19, 2.42 and OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.11, 2.31, respectively). The associations between total and weekend SNS use and depressive symptom severity were stronger in girls than boys. Other associations were similar by gender. Insufficient sleep duration (particularly on weekdays) and sleep onset latency at baseline partly mediated the associations of SNS use and depressive and anxiety symptoms (proportion of mediation ranged between 11.1% and 33.1%). The mediation effects of sleep disturbance were less marked.

Conclusions

In a large longitudinal cohort, we found that SNS use exceeding 3 h per day is associated with increased risks of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents. Findings from mediation analysis suggest that addressing poor sleep hygiene in relation to SNS use might mitigate the negative impact of high SNS use. Our findings may inform the development of early secondary school curricula incorporating digital literacy and sleep hygiene education.

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