Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41629906›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2026

Social networking site use, depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study (SCAMP).

Chen Shen, Braulio M Girela-Serrano, Martina Di Simplicio, Alexander Spiers, Iroise Dumontheil, Michael S C Thomas, Martin Röösli, Paul Elliott, Rachel B Smith, Mireille B Toledano

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Chen ShenMohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, 90 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK.
Braulio M Girela-SerranoDivision of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Martina Di SimplicioDivision of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Alexander SpiersMohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, 90 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK.
Iroise DumontheilCentre for Educational Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
Michael S C ThomasCentre for Educational Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
Martin RöösliDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, 4051, Switzerland.
Paul ElliottNational Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Rachel B SmithMohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, 90 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK.
Mireille B ToledanoMohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, 90 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK. m.toledano@imperial.ac.uk.

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/V004190/1Medical Research Council (MRC) MR/S019669/1National Institute for Health Research 091/0212National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit NIHR207424
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe growing and pervasive use of social network sites (SNS) has raised concerns about their impact on adolescent mental health during this sensitive developmental phase. Existing longitudinal studies are constrained by methodological limitations and limited exploration of underlying mechanisms. We investigated the longitudinal associations between SNS use and depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and whether sleep mediated these associations.

methodsWe analysed longitudinal data from 2350 adolescents from 31 schools in London, participating in the Study of Cognition, Adolescents, and Mobile Phones (SCAMP). The exposure was self-reported duration of SNS use at baseline (aged 11-12 years). Outcomes were depressive and anxiety symptoms at follow-up, analysed as symptom severity and clinically significant symptoms (aged 13-15 years). The associations between SNS use and depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed via multi-level ordinal logistic regression (symptom severity) and logistic regression (clinically significant symptoms). The mediation effects of insufficient sleep, sleep onset latency, and sleep disturbance were assessed by mediation analysis.

resultsCompared to 0-30 min per day, more than 3 h per day of SNS use at baseline was associated with higher severity levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.47, 95% CI 1.12, 1.93 and OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.06, 1.83, respectively) and clinically significant depressive and anxiety symptoms at follow-up (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.19, 2.42 and OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.11, 2.31, respectively). The associations between total and weekend SNS use and depressive symptom severity were stronger in girls than boys. Other associations were similar by gender. Insufficient sleep duration (particularly on weekdays) and sleep onset latency at baseline partly mediated the associations of SNS use and depressive and anxiety symptoms (proportion of mediation ranged between 11.1% and 33.1%). The mediation effects of sleep disturbance were less marked.

conclusionsIn a large longitudinal cohort, we found that SNS use exceeding 3 h per day is associated with increased risks of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents. Findings from mediation analysis suggest that addressing poor sleep hygiene in relation to SNS use might mitigate the negative impact of high SNS use. Our findings may inform the development of early secondary school curricula incorporating digital literacy and sleep hygiene education.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionSocial MediaSocial NetworkingAdolescentChildFemaleHumansLondonLongitudinal StudiesMaleAdolescentAnxiety symptomsDepressive symptomsLongitudinal cohort studyMediation analysisSleepSocial network site

Identifiers

PMID41629906
PMCPMC12958652

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.