Current research shows complex and conflicting relationships between social media use and suicide risk. A key limiting factor for clarify these relationships is the scarcity of information available on contextual factors around social media use, as most research focuses only on hours or amount of interaction. A recent study, published in Jama, has gone a little further.
“While there are clear associations between some types of social media use and suicide risk, there are also There are many opportunities to mitigate suicide risk through social networks,” maintain the authors, led by Lisa H. Jaycox, from the National Institute of Mental Health of the United States.
The most important problem facing experts on this topic is that there are methodological and measurement issues that make research difficult. Only now is it beginning to understand how specific risk factors interact with individual vulnerabilities, how social media can be used to improve the well-being of young people and whether and under what circumstances mitigation strategies can be useful.
Epidemiological studies suggest that the incidence of youth suicide is increasing. Suicide mortality rates in children and young people 10 to 24 years old increased by 62% between 2007 and 2021. These mortality rates were accompanied by steady increases in reports of suicidal thoughts and behaviors over the period from 2013 to 2023 in one of the major health surveillance surveys for U.S. high school youth, the Survey of youth risk behavior. Specifically, in 2023, 16% of minors reported having made a suicide plan.
Speculation about factors contributing to the increased risk of suicide include the rapid evolution of technology and the expansion of social media use by young people during this time period. With this in mind, experts have begun to call for a better understanding of the impact of the use of social networks and digital technology on mental health and child development. But also take advantage of social networks to support mental health.
“The reality is that social media use is an integral part of young people’s interactions and relationships with peers and given concerns about its impact on young people, there is a clear need for additional research to understand its potential risks and benefits – concludes Jaycox -. Specifically, it is necessary to improve the measurement of young people’s behaviors on social networks and identify the pathways and mechanisms that increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors.”