Study: Too Much Facebook Bad for Teens

A new study suggest that too much time on social networking sites such as Facebook or playing video games is bad for teens and often leads to a variety of medical issues such as stomach aches, sleeping issues, anxiety, and depression. The study was conducted by psychologist Larry Rosen at Cal State Dominguez Hill, who has been "studying the effects of technology on people for 25 years." The case study from Rosen was recently presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention in Washington, D.C.

Rosen's research showed that teenagers who spend a lot of time with technology like "video games or the internet" had more stomach aches, sleeping issues, anxiety, and depression. His research also showed that teens who were logged into and regularly using Facebook were more "narcissistic" because services such as Facebook allow users to "share themselves constantly on their terms."

Rosen also found that middle school, high school, and college students studying for exams over 15 minutes were only able to focus for two to three minutes before moving on to other things like texting or apps.

Rosen concluded by saying that parents need to talk to their children about their technology usage and make sure they are not spending too much time on it compared to other activities. But it’s not all doom and gloom about Facebook:

"Social networks can also help kids to practice life behind a safety curtain," Rosen said in an interview. "They can share tidbits about themselves, practice being empathetic and interact with their friends without having to deal with other people’s reactions right away."

The one thing I don't get is why Rosen tied video games into this study. Perhaps he was referring to games on Facebook, but that point was not clearly defined..

Source: LA Times by way of Slash Fear