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Click addiction

I like my online social circle. It means I get to stay on top of what people are doing without leaving home. It’s like a constant gathering around the global water cooler, where I can check in any time and stay as long as I want. Funny videos! News items! Baby pictures! Memes! Hours of fun.

Still, we’ve seen the dark side of social networking lately in the death of BC teen Amanda Todd after years of online bullying. That’s not just a tech issue, of course, though it suggests some of the ugliness allowed by anonymity.

Now that we’re hooked into electronic networking, how much is Facebook and Twitter actually affecting our mental health?

What the experts say

“When we’re behind glass screens we see only a reflection of ourselves, and not the person on the other side. This can be problematic. Social media use has spawned a combination of addictive and compulsive behaviours. The two are different. Addictive behaviours give pleasure via dopamine released in our brains. Compulsive behaviours reduce or remove anxiety chemicals from our brains. Our research shows that the majority of teens and adults check their phones constantly (every 15 minutes or less) and get anxious if they can’t, fearing they’re missing something important.”

LARRY ROSEN, psychologist, California State University, Dominguez Hills

“I studied computer and mobile phone use among young adults and found that high usage may actually precede the development of stress, especially sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms. The conclusion is that high usage may be a risk factor. We can’t clearly say you’re going to have depression. It’s multi-factoral, and there might be other causes.”

SARAH THOMEE, psychologist, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

“If we use social media to enhance existing relationships, we’re enhancing mental health, but if we stay online all night leaving loved ones starved for attention, we’re abusing. We can increase mental well-being through digital altruism, stretching our moral muscles to encompass the needs of others via digital technology. These are simple actions like using search engines that contribute to charity each time you search (e.g., Goodsearch.com), donating computing time to scientists seeking cures (e.g., worldcommunitygrid.org), playing games that result in contributions to non-profit groups (e.g., gamesthatgive.net) and sharing information about causes via social networks (e.g., causes.com).”

DANA KLISANAN, media psychologist, New York City

“We looked at adolescents’ self-reported depression symptoms and measured their internet time. We found their symptoms were not related to how much time they spent on Facebook. The take-away is to be cautious about statements not backed by evidence. Some believe a gregarious kid on Facebook is probably going to do very well, whereas a kid who has depression or fewer social skills is going to be overwhelmed by how sociable everybody looks, and retreat further. But the flip side is that I’ve seen a number of people who have found Facebook a much safer place to reach out to people. The socially isolated can now develop a network of others.”

MEGAN MORENO, professor of paediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Got a question?

Send your Althealth queries to

althealth@nowtoronto.com

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