Children who spend more time chatting on social media are less satisfied, a new survey has found. Research from the Institute of Labour Economics shows the only part of their lives that they aren’t less satisfied with is friendships.
They interviewed British children between the ages of 10 and 15 from 2010 to 2014. The researchers found that spending one hour a day chatting on social networks made the person 14 per cent less likely to be completely satisfied with his or her life overall.
People might have been at risk of cyberbullying, or had less time to do other things that could improve their well-being. Or they may have compared their lives to the lives of others, the researchers suggest.
So why does it matter? Childhood experiences are important in shaping how we will succeed as adults, the authors say. It makes sense to pay attention to something that affects the early happiness of future workers.