Students who use social media often are more likely to be bullied at school

Among the students surveyed, those who use social media are more likely to experience harassment. This trend is even more pronounced among young girls, who are more likely to experience harassment online or at school if they use social media frequently.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study (CDC) was conducted using data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of American high school students aged 14 to 18. The survey was conducted in public and private schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The study reveals that more girls use social networks frequently than boys (81.8% versus 72.9%). In addition, heterosexual students report more frequent use than lesbian or gay students (79.2% versus 67.7%). Native American students use social media less frequently (53%) than Asian (75.8%), Black (78.8%), White (76.7%), Hispanic (78%), or Multiracial (76.8%) students. 3%)

Mental health at risk

The study also shows that students who use social media frequently are more likely to experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. About half of girls and a third of LGBQ+ students who use social media frequently report these feelings. Additionally, these students are more likely to have seriously considered attempting suicide or to have made a suicide plan.

LGBQ+ students who reported frequent social media use were more likely to experience online harassment (cyberbullying) and experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness compared to those who used social media less frequently.

However, they would not be the students most exposed, according to the study. “In stratified analyses, the associations between frequent social media use and suicide risk diminished, except for heterosexual students. This group could be a factor explaining the weak significant association between social media use and making a suicide plan observed in the entire sample. The results suggest that heterosexual students may be more vulnerable to the negative impacts of social media on suicide risk. This is surprising due to the high prevalence of suicide risk among LGBQ+ students in the sample, but also suggests that social media may not be the most influential factor in suicide risk for LGBQ+ students. Emerging literature shows that social media can protect young people who identify as LGBTQ+ by connecting them to affirming communities, support networks, and online resources and may even reduce the risk of suicide among some young people“, specifies the study.