WhatsApp, multiplayer online video games driving the blues away for teens: Study
A new research has found that the problem is not the number of hours teenagers spent online during the lockdown, but the quality of their online interactions. The study has been published in the 'Journal of Research on Adolescence'. Overall, teens in the study who found support online -- such as chatting with friends and relatives via WhatsApp or joining multiplayer online video games -- reported less loneliness.
"Our findings support our hypothesis that how you spend your time on screens, and not how much time you spend online, is the best predictor of loneliness and well-being," said study lead author Dr Lucia Magis-Weinberg, a developmental scientist with UC Berkeley's Institute of Human Development.
"In light of this, teachers and parents might want to focus more on promoting positive online experiences for youth rather than limiting screen time," she added.
The findings challenge a common assumption that pandemic distancing measures, combined with excessive social media use, are a recipe for a loneliness epidemic.
"There has been this negative discourse about screen time causing loneliness and depression. But our findings provide more nuance and show that, when used positively, online interactions are actually associated with less loneliness. This is especially true when teenagers have no other option but to connect with their friends online," Magis-Weinberg said.
The study was launched in April 2020, when Peru entered a strict COVID-19 lockdown that confined tens of millions of residents to their homes. Only one family member at a time could leave for approved errands, and young people were mostly isolated indoors.
For six weeks, the researchers surveyed thousands of students between the ages of 11 and 17 to understand
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