Teenage girls most addicted to TikTok, though app makes life worse for the depressed: Poll

A recent survey conducted by Common Sense Media indicated that 38% of teenage girls aged 11-15 who were surveyed expressed symptoms of depression. Of these respondents, 17% classified their symptoms as “moderate to severe”. The survey further found that this group showed a propensity to consider their lives without social media. Specifically, 34% of teenage girls with severe depression symptoms stated that their lives would be better without TikTok, while 29% of them said it would be worse. For Instagram, 29% of respondents with moderate to severe depression expressed a preference for lives without it, meanwhile, only 23% considered their life without it worse.

Among the respondents who reported severe depressive symptoms, only half believed that giving up social media apps would have an impact on their life. In contrast, a majority of teenage girls without depression said these apps had no negative impact on their lives, with 57% indicating that TikTok had no impact, while 72% said the same for Instagram.

The survey also revealed that 45% of all teenage girls were addicted to TikTok, making it the most addictive social media app, followed by Snapchat (37%), YouTube (34%), and Instagram (33%). Nevertheless, teenage girls expressed a generally positive view of these apps, with 65% indicating that YouTube has had a positive impact on their peers who are of similar ages. In addition, 43% of respondents agreed that TikTok had a positive impact, while 38% said the same for Instagram.

Addressing the results, Common Sense CEO and founder James Steyer stressed that social media apps could have negative or positive impacts on teenagers. Depressed teens are at a greater risk of negative impacts, Steyer said, but they are also more likely to reap the benefits of such platforms, such as finding resources, community, or support. The survey polled 1,397 teenage girls between November 11 and December 5, 2022, with a margin of error of 3.5%.

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