SINGAPORE — Young people who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress than those who spend less time on these platforms.

Likewise, those who experience cyberbullying or have moderate to severe concerns about their body shape are more likely to experience similar symptoms than those who do not have such experiences.

These were among the first part of the findings from the National Youth Mental Health Study released by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) on Thursday (Sept 19).

The study was initiated in 2022 to assess the state of mental health among the Singapore resident population aged 15 to 35. 

It involved face-to-face interviews with 2,600 young people between October 2022 and June 2023. 

Overall, about a third of young people (30.6 per cent) in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress.

Among them, about two-thirds (69.1 per cent) sought help through informal or formal mental health support or services, or both.

Informal support included confiding in family and friends or various self-help measures, while formal sources refer to medical or school-based services, social care and helplines.

Young people with higher levels of resilience, perceived social support and self-esteem were less likely to experience severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress (or all), the study found.

The research was spearheaded by IMH in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health under IMH, and the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

At a press briefing on Thursday, IMH said that further data gathered from the study will continue to be analysed, and the second set of findings is expected to be released next year.

WHY IT MATTERS

Even though there has been research done overseas examining the impact of social media on mental health, this is the first time that a study here has found a correlation between excessive social media use and symptoms of mental health disorders, IMH researchers said. 

Associate Professor Swapna Verma, who is the chairman of IMH's medical board and co-principal investigator of the study, said that young people today are grappling with “unique issues” that previous generations did not.

“For instance, social media exposes them to constant comparisons, intensifying concerns about body image,” she added. 

“The anonymity of the online world has also given rise to cyberbullying, which adds a new dimension of harassment that can be relentless and far-reaching.”

Assoc Prof Swapna also said that although not all people with severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression or anxiety have a clinical condition, being in such states for a prolonged period of time can be “detrimental” to their well-being.

“Early identification of issues and intervention support can help to prevent those at risk from developing mental illnesses.”  

KEY FACTORS LINKED TO MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS

The study found that the following factors were linked to mental health symptoms among youth:

1. EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

• About one in four (27 per cent) of the youth reported engaging in excessive social media use, defined by the study as spending more than three hours on social media platforms daily
• These young social media users were 1.5 times more likely than those who did not use social media excessively to have had severe symptoms of depression. The likelihood is 1.3 times when it comes to anxiety and 1.6 times for stress
• Young people aged below 30 and who were females were more likely than males and those aged between 30 and 35 to engage in excessive social media usage

2. CONCERNS OVER BODY SHAPE

• About one in five (20.2 per cent) of young people in the population reported having moderate to severe "body shape concerns" — which is defined as having negative body image and excessive concerns about one’s body shape that are typically associated with eating disorders
• The likelihood of this group having had several symptoms of depression was 4.9 times compared to those without such concerns. The likelihood is 4.3 times for anxiety and 4.5 times for stress
• Females and those aged between 20 and 29 were more likely to have body shape concerns than males and those aged between 30 and 35

3. CYBERBULLYING 

• About one in five youth (21 per cent) reported having experienced cyberbullying in the form of encountering threats, harassment or receiving mean, aggressive or rude messages online
• This prevalence was similar across the different age groups and gender
• Young people who had experienced cyberbullying were about twice as likely to have had severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress, compared with those who had not

Apart from these three key factors, others such as vaping, smoking and adverse childhood experiences were also found to have links to respondents who had severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression or anxiety.

SEEKING HELP FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

The study also found that not all respondents felt comfortable seeking help for mental health problems.

About two in three (69.1 per cent) of those with severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress (or all) sought help through informal or professional means.

The top three sources of help were:

• Family and friends (57.9 per cent)
• Self-help measures and resources (31.1 per cent)
• Medical services (20.1 per cent)

Among those who reported mental health problems but chose not to seek help, they gave these three most common reasons: 

• The perception that specialists would not be able to help them
• Being worried about what other people may think if they sought treatment
• Being worried about privacy, confidentiality or having this permanently documented in official records

In a separate press release jointly issued on Thursday by MOH, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, it was announced that a “toolbox” of bite-sized strategies called "Parenting for Wellness" will be rolled out in phases.

This toolbox aims to empower and equip parents with skills to:

• Build strong parent-child relationships
• Strengthen their children’s mental well-being and emotional resilience
• Support their children’s digital journeys while keeping them safe online

The ministries said that the first roll-out of these resources was on Wednesday.

It covers various topics such as managing screen time, addressing cyberbullying, understanding mental health and well-being and supporting a child in coping with difficult emotions such as stress and anxiety. 

A separate research-based guide will also be introduced in the first half of next year.

This guide will offer advice that enable people to use technology and social media healthily and positively. It will also provide recommendations to mitigate the negative impact of using social media and digital tools.