NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 24th April (66)

Revealed: the more time that children chat on social media, the less happy they feel

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/09/social-networks--children-chat-feel-less-happy-facebook-instagram-whatsapp

Summary

Perhaps Facebook should have a clear health warning displayed as a study reveals that children who spend more time on social media feel less happy in almost all aspects of their lives such as their school work and the school that they attend. However, they do feel happier about their friendships. These findings by a team of economists at the University of Sheffield are to be presented at this week's Royal Economic Society Annual Conference in Bristol and are likely to stoke a heavy debate about the upsides and downsides of social media. Social networking has altered childhood dramatically in the past decade and is becoming a concern for politicians and organisations responsible for safeguarding children. The NSPCC cited social media as a major cause of the dramatic increase in the numbers of children admitted to hospital after self-harming.

Key Statistics

• Spending one hour a day on social networks reduces the probability of a child being completely happy with his or her life overall by around 14%.

• This finding is three times as high as the estimated adverse effect on the wellbeing of being a single parent household.  

• More than 90% of 16- to 24-year-olds use online social networks and while most sites stipulate a minimum user age of 13, few apply any checks. 

•  A BBC survey found that more than three-quarters of 10- to 12-year-olds have social media accounts.

• The amount of time that children between eight and 11 and those aged 12-15 spend online has more than doubled in a decade, the Ofcom report found.

•  Teenagers now spend nearly three and a half more hours a week online than they do watching television.

My Opinion

These statistics are definitely going to spark up a heavy debate; given that social media is being blamed for a lot of things already. Despite, these findings I don't think any users will think twice, they will just carry on using social media as if these statistics do not exist. Although, given these findings, I do think Facebook and the other social networking sites need to make their age restrictions for signing up a lot tighter.