Secondary school girls in Wales report their problematic social media use is double that of boys
New findings from Public Health Wales, in partnership with The School Health Research Network at Cardiff University, show that secondary school aged girls have much higher rates of self-reported problematic social media use than boys. Differences were most pronounced in years nine and ten, with one in five girls reporting their own problematic use compared with one in ten boys.
These data come from the 2023 SHRN Student Health and Well-Being (SHW) secondary school survey, one of the largest surveys of school children in Wales. The survey asked young people aged between 11 and 16 whether they have tried to limit their own use of social media and been unable to, whether they can only think of when they will next be able to use these sites, whether they have neglected other activities such as sport and hobbies in order to prioritise social media, or whether it has caused conflict with family or friends. These questions are from an internationally recognised tool, the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS*).
21.0 per cent of girls in year ten and 20.5 per cent of year nine reported the highest rate of problematic social media use, compared to 10.1 and 9.8 per cent of boys respectively. The overall figure for Wales is 17.9 per cent for girls and 9.7 per cent for boys.
As well as the difference between genders, there was also a gap between families in differing economic situations. Girls from low and middle affluence households (using the Family Affluence Scale*) reported scores for problematic social media use at 20.8 and 19.0 per cent respectively, significantly higher than the boys in the same groups who were at 12.1 and 10.3 per cent respectively.
Emily van de Venter, Consultant in Health Improvement for Public Health Wales, said:
“We have seen a lot of discussion about the problematic use of social media by young people in recent months.
“Social media can provide benefits through greater connectivity, but a concerning number of young people are reporting negative impacts on their relationships, engagement with hobbies and difficulties in limiting their time using it.
“While we are currently working on our understanding of the impact of social media use on young people, we would recommend that all young people have a ‘balanced diet’ of activities, including making time for hobbies, socialising with friends, physical activity and school work, alongside things like social media or online gaming.
“Turning off notifications, avoiding taking devices into bedrooms and not using them before bedtime can help to limit impacts and support good sleep which is important for our mental health and wellbeing.”
“This is the first year that results on social media use from the SHRN survey has been published on the Public Health Wales dashboard, and analysis of this information will help us to gain greater understanding of the way that different groups of young people use these platforms.”
The secondary school Student Health and Well-being survey is carried out by the School Health Research Network, a partnership between Welsh Government, Cardiff University and Public Health Wales. The secondary school survey is carried out every other year and asks students in years 7 to 11 questions about a wide range of subjects in their lives, including mental health and wellbeing, physical activity, sex and relationships, school life, friendships, substance use and gambling and general health. The latest survey (2023) was completed by nearly 130,000 learners in 200 state maintained secondary schools across Wales. A similar survey of primary school children is also carried out every two years.
Dr. Kelly Morgan, SHRN Director said:
“By including these questions in our national survey we’re able to gain an understanding of how young people use social media, and explore how experiences vary across different groups. This allows us to build a much richer understanding of how this issue relates to wider health behaviours.”
The dashboard can be accessed here, and more information about The School Health Research Network is here.