HomeMy WebLinkAboutGirls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - Globe & Mail - 07/25/2018 - Globe & Mail - 07/25/20187/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
Girls more negatively affected by social media than
boys: survey
ERIN ANDERSSEN>
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UPDAl" II:.U) 8 IIMIR AGO
Girls in Ontario report feeling stressed, hopeless and overwhelmed by their day at
twice the rate of boys, and heavy use of social media appears to make their mental
health worse, according to a large-scale student survey released Wednesday.
Over all, the survey found students are increasingly absorbed by their smartphones.
But while the results suggest more time spent on social media takes an increasing
toll on mental health over all, additional data provided exclusively to The Globe and
Mail revealed the trend was much more dramatic for girls than boys.
For instance, researchers found that 61 per cent of girls who used social media for
more than five hours a day indicated moderate to serious psychological distress,
compared with 33 per cent of boys. Girls who spent more time on social media were
also more likely to say they had thought about suicide in the past year, an
association, the research found, that was not significant for boys. At the same time,
disconnecting entirely wasn't necessarily a solution: girls especially who were never
or rarely on social media reported slightly poorer mental health than those using
only one hour a day.
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7/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
30
20
10
0
No use/not daily 1 hour or less 2-4 hours 5+ hours
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: CAMH
DATA SHARE
The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health survey, which has been collecting data
every two years since 1977, was conducted by the Toronto-based Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health and surveyed 11,435 students from Grade 7 to 12 across
Ontario in 2017. In the past 10 years, the survey has found a steady rise in the
percentage of students reporting mental-health issues. More recent statistics suggest
social media is an important factor, although how much it is the cause or a
symptom of an existing problem isn't clear. And many teens spending hours online
are coping just fine — half of all students over all rated their mental health as either
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-student-survey-find-girls-twice-as-likely-as-boys-to-give-their-mental/ 2/7
7/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
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who say they are "too fat" has increased to 31 per cent from 23 per cent.
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THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: CAMH
DATA SHARE
"There is a lot of calling each other out, and posting about one another, and trying
to get a reaction out of it. Often the person doesn't name names, but everybody
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-student-survey-find-girls-twice-as-likely-as-boys-to-give-their-mental/ 3/7
7/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
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confront.
Social media creates this "need to achieve an impossible standard," said Sahaana
Ranganathan,19, summer program facilitator with Girls Incorporated of Upper
Canada, an organization that runs educational programs for girls from age six to 18.
"And it is so easy to break someone down when you don't see their reaction in
person."
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7/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
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sleep and exercise than boys — two activities that have an important influence on
well-being. (Girls were less likely than boys to participate in sports, particularly in
higher grades, according to the survey, but equally likely — at roughly 15 per cent —
to report experiencing a concussion in the past year, a question asked for the first
time in the 2017 survey.)
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Felt nervous
Felt restless or fidgety
Felt that everything was
an effort
Felt so depressed nothing
could cheer you up
Felt worthless
Felt hopeless
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: CAMH
28.7%
DATA SHARE
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7/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
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7/25/2018 Girls more negatively affected by social media than boys: survey - The Globe and Mail
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