The widespread use of social media among teenagers has become a pressing concern in recent years. While social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat offer unparalleled opportunities for connection and self-expression, they also pose significant risks to the mental and emotional well-being of teenagers.
A recent study, including the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, found that teenagers in India had an average of 1.2 electronic devices in the bedroom and 0.5 personal electronic devices.
While in Denmark, the teenagers had an average of 4.2 electronic devices in the bedroom and 2.3 personal electronic devices.
The study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, also noted that poor access to parks could be discouraging teens from being active in countries including India and Bangladesh.
In India, fewer than 30 per cent of adolescents reported having a personal social media account, compared to countries of higher socio-economic status.
Accelerometer data from nearly 4,000 adolescents aged 11 to 19 years were used for the study. The survey data on sedentary behaviour from over 6,300 participants from across 14 geographically and culturally diverse countries were also analysed.
Those teens categorised under the less screen time lived in walkable neighbourhoods and had a better understanding of the world and surviving skills.
The study found that concerns related to traffic and crime too were found to influence a teenager's chances of being active.
"Both home and neighbourhood environment features were related to sedentary time and sedentary behaviour. Having social media accounts emerged as a major contributor towards sedentarism in adolescents," the authors wrote.
The authors also noted that teenagers around the world are spending eight to ten hours a day performing sedentary activities, such as watching television and playing video games, an excess of which is linked to multiple disorders, including obesity, diabetes and mental ones.
Crime and traffic were other parameters considered which prevent teens from being less active and resorting to indoors.
