Bingeing on social media isn’t good for any teen, but new research has pinpointed three ways in which hours spent on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook may harm the mental health of young girls in particular. “Almost all of the influence of social media on mental health could be explained by the three mechanisms examined — namely experiencing cyberbullying, sleeping for less than eight hours a night and reduced physical activity — all of which have known effects on mental health,” said researcher Dasha Nicholls, a reader in child psychiatry at Imperial College London. “The influence of these mechanisms in boys was much less marked, however, and it is likely that other mechanisms are operating that we were unable to explore,” she added. Girls use social media much more than boys, Nicholls explained, and girls may use social media differently than boys. They also are exposed to and react differently to the content they see, she noted. “It’s important to keep a balance, so that social media does not displace other activities that are important for mental health,” Nicholls said. Another expert said social media is a mixed bag for teens. Social media use does not necessarily need to be harmful, said Ann DeSmet, a post-doctorate fellow in health science at Ghent University in Belgium. It can reduce loneliness, but can also increase exposure to…  read on >

Parents of budding teens can breathe a little easier: A new study says adolescent “sexting” is not an epidemic. On the other hand, it’s not disappearing, either, despite campaigns to curb it. “Sexting is perceived as an epidemic because the news highlights extreme cases that involve tragic outcomes, and because it goes against standards of morality and decency that are historically entrenched,” said study author Sameer Hinduja, a professor of criminology at Florida Atlantic University. But most teens have never sent or received a sex text, the new study found. It focused on about 5,600 students in American middle and high schools, ages 12 to 17. Of those, about 14% had ever sent a sexually or explicit image or had received one. For this study, researchers defined sexting as the exchange of nude or semi-nude photos or videos via text or private messaging on social media. Other researchers have included sexually suggestive or explicit texts. Hinduja said his team didn’t include those, because they can’t lead to sextortion, child pornography charges or related fallout. About 11% of the students said they had sent a sext to a boyfriend or girlfriend — and about 64% did so when asked to, the study found. But only 43% complied with a request from someone who was not a current romantic partner. Boys were much more likely to have…  read on >

Remember the “mood ring” craze of the 1970s? A high-tech wristband is being developed along the same lines, potentially helping patients who struggle with mood disorders. The smart wristband would use a person’s skin to track their emotional intensity. During a mood swing, either high or low, the wristband would change color, heat up, squeeze or vibrate to inform the wearer he might be in the throes of depression or anxiety, the researchers said. “As the feedback is provided in real time, our devices encourage people to become more aware of their emotions, name them, potentially reflect on what causes them, and even learn how to control their emotional responses in order to change the visual or tactile feedback provided by the device,” said researcher Corina Sas. She is a professor of human-computer interaction and digital health at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. About 10% of U.S. adults struggle with a mood disorder, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or seasonal affective disorder, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. Part of the treatment for a mood disorder involves becoming more aware of emotions, and then learning to regulate emotional response, the study authors said in background notes in their report. Co-author Muhammad Umair, a Lancaster research associate, explained, “We wanted to create low-cost, simple prototypes to support understanding and engagement with…  read on >

Social media is helping spur the e-cigarette epidemic among America’s teens, a new study suggests. Nearly 15,000 Instagram posts related to Juul, the most popular e-cigarette brand, were released between March and May 2018, researchers found. More than half the posts focused on youth culture or lifestyle-related content that would appeal to teens, according to results published July 2 in the journal Tobacco Control. One-third of the posts contained overt promotional content that highlighted ways to obtain Juul-related products at a reduced cost, including discounts and giveaways, the researchers added. These promotional posts “had links to commercial websites,” said senior researcher Elizabeth Hair, senior vice president of the Schroeder Institute, Truth Initiative, in Washington, D.C. “Not all of them were from Juul corporate; some of them were from companies selling the Juul product.” This sort of social media promotion is fueling the use of e-cigarettes among teens, Hair said. “Over 20% of our youth are using e-cigarettes,” Hair said. “We’ve been doing such a great job of changing the nation’s direction on cigarette usage, and now we have a new epidemic we’re facing.” But Juul Labs spokesperson Lindsay Andrews noted that during those three months, the company itself issued only eight Instagram posts. Most posts from third-party users, Juul says “Six of these were testimonials from former adult smokers, one was a letter from our…  read on >