Researchers recently found that adolescent girls who spent more time on the internet at age 15 were more likely to have increased symptoms of anxiety, both generalised and social, at age 17. However, the reverse was not true – anxiety symptoms at age 15 did not predict higher internet use at age 17 for either boys or girls.
Generalised anxiety disorder, often referred to as GAD, is a chronic and pervasive form of anxiety. People with GAD experience excessive and uncontrollable worry and anxiety about many aspects of their lives, including everyday events and future uncertainties. People with GAD find it difficult to control or stop their worrying, even when they recognise that their anxiety is excessive or irrational.
On the other hand, social anxiety disorder, also known as SAD or social phobia, is characterised by an intense fear of social situations and a persistent worry about being judged, embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. Fear of social situations can interfere with a person’s ability to form relationships, attend social events, pursue educational or career opportunities, and enjoy a fulfilling social life.
Studies have linked anxiety in early adolescence to a range of problems, from substance abuse to academic difficulties. Notably, the majority of anxiety disorders develop between early adolescence and young adulthood, making this a critical period for understanding the development of anxiety. Parallel to this concern is the increase in adolescent screen time, particularly internet use, which has risen sharply since the pandemic.
Previous research has shown an association between increased screen time and higher levels of internalising symptoms and lower well-being in adolescents. However, the direction of this association has remained unclear due to limitations in study design.
Recognising the need for more in-depth research, the authors of the new study aimed to examine the bidirectional relationship between internet use and the development of generalised and social anxiety symptoms, taking into account gender differences.
“The topic of how digital media can influence our cognition, mental health and behaviour has always fascinated me,” explained study author Gabriel Tiraboschi, a postdoctoral researcher at the Early Learning and Social Adjustment Research Lab at the Université de Sherbrooke. “Because digital media use is a relatively new behaviour in our society and technology is constantly changing, researchers are still figuring out the psychological effects of digital media use. So there is still a lot to discover, especially when it comes to development.”
“During my PhD I was interested in the effects of video games on cognition and mental health, and we found disturbing evidence that video game use in early adolescence is associated with ADHD symptoms. More recently, I have been interested in the psychological effects of internet use on adolescents. Previous research has found consistent evidence that Internet use is associated with internalising symptoms in adolescents.
“However, the research has been mostly correlational, and the question has always remained: what comes first, internalising symptoms or internet use? It could be that more depressed or anxious adolescents use the internet more, or that using the internet makes internalising symptoms worse. And that’s what got me interested, I wanted to answer that question.”
The study used data collected between 2013 and 2015 from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), which included a sample of 2,837 children born between 1997 and 1998 in Quebec, Canada. The researchers selected 1,324 participants who had data on socio-economic status, internet use and anxiety symptoms.
At ages 15 and 17, the participants were asked about their internet use, including how much time per week they spent online doing different activities, such as playing games, searching, chatting and using social media. General and social anxiety symptoms were self-reported at the same ages using established questionnaires.
The study found that internet use at age 15 predicted an increase in generalised anxiety symptoms at age 17 in girls, but this effect was not observed in boys. Girls who spent more time on the internet at age 15 were more likely to have higher generalised anxiety symptoms at age 17. However, the reverse was not true; generalised anxiety symptoms at 15 did not predict internet use at 17 for either gender.
Similar to generalised anxiety symptoms, internet use at age 15 predicted higher levels of social anxiety symptoms at age 17 for girls, but not for boys. In this case, girls who reported more internet use at age 15 had more social anxiety symptoms at age 17. Again, the study found no significant relationship between social anxiety symptoms at age 15 and subsequent internet use at age 17 for either boys or girls.
“We found not only that Internet use was associated with increased levels of anxiety symptoms, but also that Internet use preceded both generalised and social anxiety symptoms,” said Tiraboschi. “We found no evidence that adolescents with higher levels of anxiety used the Internet more. This means that it is likely that Internet use in late adolescence exacerbates anxiety symptoms”.
“In the literature, it has often been assumed that associations are bidirectional (Internet use increases anxiety symptoms in adolescents, and anxious adolescents seek out the Internet more),” Tiraboschi explained. “However, we found no evidence that adolescents with higher levels of anxiety symptoms use the Internet more often than their peers with lower levels of anxiety. On the other hand, we did find evidence that internet use increases anxiety symptoms in girls.”
“We don’t know exactly why there is a gender difference, but previous research has shown that girls use the internet for more social purposes than boys, such as using social media more. Social media use has been linked to upward social comparison, body image concerns, FoMo (fear of missing out) and many other issues that have the potential to increase anxiety in adolescents. So it may be that this gender difference is related to social media use. But we don’t know.”
However, Tiraboschi noted that “it is important to note that the associations we found were not very large, which means that internet use is a factor that contributes to worsening anxiety symptoms, but it is not enough by itself to cause a mental disorder in a healthy person”.
The study, like all research, has some limitations. The measure of internet use didn’t take into account mobile use and relied on self-reporting, which can introduce bias. Future research could benefit from a more detailed analysis of online activities and their different effects on anxiety.
“We need to understand which types of use and which specific activities on the internet make adolescents more anxious,” said Tiraboschi. “There is evidence from other studies that social media use and passive use of social media (such as doom scrolling) are more associated with mental health problems, but we don’t know exactly how this relates to our findings.”
Nevertheless, the findings highlight the link between increased internet use during adolescence and the development of anxiety symptoms, particularly among girls. Understanding these dynamics can inform interventions aimed at reducing anxiety symptoms in adolescents and promoting healthier screen time habits.
“Our findings suggest that internet use has a modest but significant effect on anxiety levels in adolescent girls,” Tiraboschi told PsyPost. “This is a cause for concern as internet use becomes more widespread and pervasive among young people. These effects may accumulate over time, both at the individual and societal levels.
“For individuals, internet use may exacerbate existing mental health problems, especially for girls. For society, internet use may contribute to a greater burden of anxiety disorders, affecting the well-being and productivity of many people. Therefore, we recommend that adolescents use the internet in moderation and that more research is done in this area”.
