Being connected with the virtual world through social media for several hours is really common among adolescents, young adults, and even teenagers. A recent study, published in the journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology, shows that "the more friends a teenager has on Facebook, the more stressed they are likely to be". This may also increase their future risk for depression, anxiety and even sleep disorder.
Medical News Today emphasized the findings of the study - extreme social media presence and exposure potentially influences the teen's later-life depression risk. Lead researcher Prof. Sonia Lupien of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal in Canada and colleagues found that the number of friends teenagers have on Facebook may initially impact stress levels and eventually increasing anxiety risks.
The team also identified certain reduction in cortisol levels among teenagers who supported friends on the social media site by "liking" or even sharing their posts or sending them encouraging words. And as the figures would tell, higher cortisol levels in teens may indicate future depression risk.
"While they did not observe any symptoms of depression among participants, their findings suggest that teenagers with a higher number of Facebook friends may be at greater future depression risk," the research team explained. "Some studies have shown that it may take 11 years before the onset of severe depression in children who consistently had high cortisol levels."
Likewise, BBC News also included in a related news report that teenagers are getting more anxious and depressed because of the 24-hour demands of their social media accounts. It also explained that those with high emotional attachment and investment in social media were more likely to feel depressed and pressured.
Furthermore, it has been found that many felt strained and forced to respond immediately to comments and posts. Some drastic effects on sleep quality, self-esteem, anxiety, depression and the subjects' emotional investment in social media were also observed, measured and analyzed.
