Here’s the maximum time a teen should spend on social media

• Teenagers who use social media over half an hour are prone to have a mental diseases than those who don't.
  
• Teens spend almost 9 hours a day on entertainment media that includes TV, browsing social media, streaming videos and listening to music online.
  
• However, Pediatrics analysis says the question “how much” time is being spent may be wrong all along since most of the teenagers are online almost all the time.

Teenagers who use social media over half an hour are prone to have a mental diseases than those who don't. Teens using social media like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for more than three hours are at a higher risk, said recent study by JAMA Psychiatry.

“The influence of friends and peers on online social networks have been known to lead a series where an individual ends up feeling inept at social and communication skills,” said Dr Gitanjali Narayanan, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).

‘How much’ may be the wrong question
According to another study, teens spend almost 9 hours a day on entertainment media that includes TV, browsing social media, streaming videos and listening to music online.

However, Pediatrics analysis says the question “how much” time is being spent may be wrong all along since most of the teenagers are online almost all the time.

Extreme shortage of psychiatrists
To ensure the health of the vast number of teens and others in India, the government has been allocating money for it in the Budget. Last year, however, the National Mental Health Programme 2019-20 was down to ₹40 crore from ₹50 crore the previous year.

Added to that, India is short of psychiatrists and experts to deal with this crisis.

According to World Health Organisation, India had 0·301 psychiatrists, 0·166 nurses, and 0·047 psychologists against 100,000 mental-disorder patients in 2011. In simple words, a single psychiatrist is treating 332,225 patients.

How much India understands mental illness

According to the WHO, 200 million people -- one in every five -- in India may suffer from depression at least once in their lifetime.It also tagged India as the most depressed country in the world, with 6.5% of the population suffering from severe mental health issues.

Mental stigma along with lack of awareness deprives 82% of sufferers from seeking help.

According to a recent survey, as many as 56% of Indians described people who talk to themselves, as mentally ill. Other 9% said mental illness is the same as depression. And 20% of respondents said people who call themselves crazy, stupid or mad are mentally ill.

See also:
‘Always On’ work culture is affecting mental health of Indians