In Wales, secondary school-age girls report much higher rates of problematic social media use compared to boys, according to new research from Public Health Wales.

Differences were most pronounced in years 9 and 10, with one in five girls reporting their own problematic use compared with one in ten boys.

These data come from Cardiff University’s 2023 School Health Research Network Student Health and Well-Being secondary school survey, one of the largest surveys of school children in Wales.

The survey asked young people aged between 11 and 16 whether they have tried to limit their own use of social media and been unable to, whether they can only think of when they will next be able to use these sites, whether they have neglected other activities such as sport and hobbies in order to prioritise social media, or whether it has caused conflict with family or friends.

21 per cent of girls in year 10 and 20.5 per cent of year 9 reported the highest rate of problematic social media use, compared to 10.1 and 9.8 per cent of boys respectively. The overall figure for Wales is 17.9 per cent for girls and 9.7 per cent for boys.

Emily van de Venter, Consultant in Health Improvement for Public Health Wales, said:

“While we are currently working on our understanding of the impact of social media use on young people, we would recommend that all young people have a ‘balanced diet’ of activities, including making time for hobbies, socialising with friends, physical activity and school work, alongside things like social media or online gaming.

“Turning off notifications, avoiding taking devices into bedrooms and not using them before bedtime can help to limit impacts and support good sleep which is important for our mental health and wellbeing.”