NPR

Increased Hours Online Correlate With An Uptick In Teen Depression, Suicidal Thoughts

It's not proof of cause and effect, but should be a warning, researchers say. Surveys showed teens — especially girls — who spent hours online daily were more likely than others to report depression.
The study drew on survey data from half a million U.S. teenagers from 2010 to 2015.

A study published Tuesday in the journal Clinical Psychological Science finds that increased time spent with popular electronic devices — whether a computer, cell phone or tablet — might have contributed to an uptick in symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts over the last several years among teens, especially among girls.

Though San Diego State University psychologist , who led , agrees this sort of research can only establish a correlation between long hours of daily screen time and symptoms of alienation — it can't prove one causes the other —

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