Overwhelming pressure on teenagers and twenty somethings
By Bill Heaney
The Scottish government will next month publish initial research on the links between unhealthy social media use and lower mental well-being, in particular in girls and young women.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood on Thursday that the government are also committed to developing and publishing Scotland-specific advice on how young people can use social media in a healthy way.
She said: “That advice, which will be co-produced with young people for young people, will be informed by the research that we will publish next month.”
The First Minister was answering a question from Liz Smith MSP, who was seeking information on the relationship between social media and mental health. It made recommendations on the need for further research in the area.
She said: “I am sure that the whole Parliament will be united in deep concern about the shocking statistics that say that 60 per cent of 16 to 25-year-olds believe that social media place ‘overwhelming pressure’ on their age group, and that mental health referrals have increased by 22 per cent since 2014.
“Those are just some of the facts that have, quite rightly, led MSPs and MPs to state categorically that we all have a duty of care to protect vulnerable users.”
Asked about the timescale for publication of the new research, Ms Sturgeon said: “The internet and social media should be, and in many respects are, forces for good that we should embrace and welcome, but they also put considerable pressure on young people—in particular, young girls.
“Many of us have young girls in our families—I have a niece who is about to enter her teenage years—and it is not difficult to see that pressure. We must ensure that our young people are equipped to deal with it properly.”
Liz Smith would be written to with the precise timescales for delivery of the various aspects of the work.
“All that work is important, so that we can prevent mental health issues and provide treatment as quickly as possible, when it is required.
“Undoubtedly, part of prevention is encouragement of, and support for, healthy use of social media.”