(Montreal) Teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to exhibit behaviors associated with addiction to social networks like Facebook and Instagram, reveals an international study in which a Montreal researcher participated.
Teenagers could, for example, cite feelings of unease in the absence of social media, unsuccessful attempts to cut down on time spent on these apps, and reliance on social media to escape negative feelings.
The researchers considered that young people who described at least six behaviors associated with addiction potentially had a problem.
The authors of the study interviewed nearly 180,000 young people in some forty countries, which allowed them to paint an overall picture of the situation. In particular, this enabled them to observe that the problem was particularly present in schools where the economic disparities between students were more marked.
“We are not talking about poverty in the absolute sense of the term,” said one of the authors of the study, Professor Frank Elgar of McGill University. We talk about what it’s like to be “the poor kid in school”, about your relative position in relation to other students or people around you. »
Social networks, we know, can reflect dazzling and luxurious lifestyles, and the researchers wanted to know if this could have an impact among young people who are ― or who perceive themselves to be ― disadvantaged.
They weren’t interested in metrics like the number of hours young people spend online each day, but rather how they feel when they’re unable to check their virtual status or read their messages.
“And we found that a more unequal environment and greater relative poverty seem to be more associated with this compulsive use (of social media), and that’s consistent with other work we’ve done on youth mental health.” , said Mr. Elgar.
This compulsive use seems to have its origin not in poverty as such, he said, but rather in the gaps between rich and poor, in the inequalities between social classes.
And the use of social networks is not the only worrying aspect to be highlighted by this school survey that Canada and other countries carry out every four years: practically all aspects of health, behavior, Emotional health and social functioning appear to be associated with inequality, and in ways that aren’t positive, Elgar said.
“The further down the social scale you go, the more you encounter these problems, including the use of social networks, he indicated. Wherever there is a large gap between rich and poor, these problems are more common. »
Teenagers are greatly concerned about their social position and the image they project, Professor Elgar points out, which may explain, or at least partly, why disadvantaged young people seem particularly vulnerable.
“Young people are often afraid of missing something (fear of missing out, in English), he said. And in this case, those who are disadvantaged feel that they do not have the same opportunities as others. »
This then fuels anger, anxiety about the future and resentment that resonates online, Elgar said.
By being constantly bombarded with images of luxury and celebrity, he added, we inevitably end up looking at our own lives and feeling some discomfort — or just wanting to scream.
“Social media is not a bad thing,” Professor Elgar concluded. They are neutral. But in the face of compulsive use, it becomes more difficult to perceive their benefits, and it seems particularly intense among disadvantaged young people. »
The findings of this study were published by the scientific journal Information, Communication and Society.