Toronto, Nov 28 (TIWN) Researchers have found that social media use, television viewing and computer use, but not video gaming, are linked to an increase in anxiety symptoms among adolescents.

The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, shows that a higher than average frequency of social media use, television viewing and computer use over four years predicts more severe symptoms of anxiety over that same time frame.  In the study, when adolescents decreased their social media use, television viewing, and computer use, their symptoms of anxiety became less severe, according to the researchers from the University of Montreal in Canada.  A recent study by the team found associations of social media use and television viewing on symptoms of depression.  The study, however, did not find the same relationship with computer use.  It appears that computer use is uniquely associated to increases in anxiety, potentially in relation to using the computer for homework activities, the researchers said.  The study could have important implications for how youth and families choose to regulate digital screen time in order to prevent and reduce symptoms of anxiety.  The findings indicate that social media use, television viewing, and computer use are predictors of anxiety in adolescence.  While the results are observation based, the researchers controlled for any potential common underlying vulnerability to high levels of screen time and anxiety.