A recent study that has been published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science has revealed that the habit of spending more time on cellphones, tablets or playing computer games may increase the risk of depressive disorders or induces suicidal tendencies.
According to the latest research, 48 percent of teenagers, especially girls, who spend around five or more hours every day on their electronic devices, reported at least one suicide-related outcome when compared to only 28 percent of those who spent less than an hour a day on devices.
"These increases in mental health issues among teens are very alarming," Jean Twenge, Professor at the San Diego State University in California said. "Teens are telling us they are struggling, and we need to take that very seriously."
After studying the questionnaire data from more than 500,000 teenagers, the researchers found that the suicide rate for girls, aged between 13 to 18 years, has increased by 65 percent. In addition to this, the total number of girls, who have reported symptoms of severe depression, has also increased by 58 percent.
"When the teens were asked about their leisure time activities, most of them increasingly spent more time with screens and less time on other activities. That was by far not a good formula for mental health," the researchers said.
The researchers added that engaging in social interaction, sports and exercise, doing homework, attending religious services, and other interactive measures can actually help in reducing such cases. They noted that those who are active on those social grounds were linked to having fewer depressive symptoms and suicide-related outcomes.
