Screen Time Woes: Social Media Posting, Scrolling, Externalizing Behaviours, and Anxiety in Adolescents

Adolescent screen time use increased exponentially during the pandemic. While excessive social media usage and prolonged screen time have been recognized as risk factors for internalizing and externalizing behaviours in adolescents, there remains limited understanding regarding pre-existing contributing factors that can predispose some adolescents to adverse outcomes. In the current study, screen use behaviours in adolescents were examined in relation to pre-existing vulnerabilities and mental health outcomes such as anxiety, emotional and behavioural difficulties. A community-based sample of 580 adolescents aged 12 to 17 participated in an online survey to assess screen use behaviour from December 2022-August 2023. Demographic data, pre-existing vulnerabilities, screen use, emotional and behavioural difficulties and anxiety were collected using self-report questionnaires. Screen-use behaviours such as frequency of screen use, total time spent on screens, passive scrolling, and content posting on social media were analyzed across weekdays and weekends. Notably, about 45% of adolescents without pre-existing vulnerabilities reported anxiety at a clinical range. The risk analysis revealed that weekday screen time exceeding two hours increases risks on clinically-elevated anxiety two times and emotional and behavioural difficulties fourfolds. Among different types of screen use behaviours, passive scrolling was associated with clinically-elevated anxiety while controlling for age, gender and pre-existing vulnerabilities. Managing screen time and activities based on individual mental health profiles, particularly regarding anxiety levels, could be beneficial for adolescents' well-being.