Previous studies have shown how too much time spent on social media can increase the risk of anxiety.

Now, new findnigs published in the journal British Psychological Society Developmental and Social Psychology Section.

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Researchers at the University of Glascow discovered that the need to be constantly available via social media and to respond to others 24/7 in the same way can be quite taxing, increasing the risk of anxiety, depression and even reduce quality sleep, particularly in teenagers.

"Adolescence can be a period of increased vulnerability for the onset of depression and anxiety, and poor sleep quality may contribute to this. It is important that we understand how social media use relates to these. Evidence is increasingly supporting a link between social media use and wellbeing, particularly during adolescence, but the causes of this are unclear," researcher Dr. Heather Cleland Woods, said.

In this recent study, researchers collected and analyzed information from 467 teenagers who were given questionnaires regarding their night-time specific social media use. A further set of tests measured sleep quality, along with self-esteem, depression, anxiety and emotional investment in their social media tools that related to the pressure felt to be available 24/7 and the anxiety around not responding immediately to texts or posts. 

The analysis revealed that overall and night-time specific social media use along with emotional investment were related to poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem as well as higher anxiety and depression levels.

"While overall social media use impacts on sleep quality, those who log on at night appear to be particularly affected. This may be mostly true of individuals who are highly emotionally invested. This means we have to think about how our kids use social media, in relation to time for switching off," she concluded. 

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