On September 24, 2024, the WHO Regional Office for Europe published an international report on adolescent social media use and digital gaming. The findings were based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study involving nearly 280,000 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 across 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada.

Problematic social media use increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. It was characterized by addiction-like features such as difficulty controlling use, withdrawal, neglect of other activities and negative consequences in daily life. The prevalence was 13% among girls and 9% among boys.

For digital gaming, 34% reported playing daily and 22% played for at least four hours on gaming days. Overall, 12% were considered at risk of problematic gaming, with a higher prevalence among boys (16%) than girls (7%).

Comment from GAME-F

The important point is that problematic use is not defined simply by time spent online, but also by loss of control, displacement of other activities and negative consequences in daily life.

Long hours alone do not tell the whole story.

The focus is shifting from “How many hours?” to “What is happening in daily life?”

References

WHO — HBSC report on adolescent social media use and gaming

WHO — Teens, screens and mental health