Schoolgirls in Wales report problematic social media use double that of boys
9 May 2025, 00:04
Data came from the 2023 The School Health Research Network student health and wellbeing secondary school survey.
Secondary school-aged girls in Wales have much higher rates of self-reported problematic social media use than boys, research shows.
The differences were most pronounced in Year 9 and Year 10, with one in five girls reporting their own problematic use compared with one in 10 boys.
Public Health Wales and Cardiff University analysed data from the 2023 The School Health Research Network student health and wellbeing secondary school survey.
It asked young people aged between 11 and 16 a series of questions about their social media use and whether they had neglected other activities in favour of social media.
It found that 21% of girls in Year 10 and 20% of Year 9 reported the highest rate of problematic social media use, compared with 10% and 9% of boys respectively.
The overall figure for Wales is 17% for girls and 9% for boys.
As well as the difference between genders, there was also a gap between families in differing economic situations.
Girls from low and middle affluence households reported scores for problematic social media use at 20% and 19% respectively, significantly higher than the boys in the same groups who were at 12% and 10% respectively.
Dr Emily van de Venter, consultant in health improvement for Public Health Wales, said: “We have seen a lot of discussion about the problematic use of social media by young people in recent months.
“Social media can provide benefits through greater connectivity, but a concerning number of young people are reporting negative impacts on their relationships, engagement with hobbies and difficulties in limiting their time using it.
“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.”
The secondary school student health and wellbeing survey is carried out by the School Health Research Network, a partnership between Welsh Government, Cardiff University and Public Health Wales.
The latest survey was completed by nearly 130,000 learners in 200 state maintained secondary schools across Wales.
A similar survey of primary school children is also carried out every two years.
Dr Kelly Morgan, director of the School Health Research Network, added: “By including these questions in our national survey we’re able to gain an understanding of how young people use social media, and explore how experiences vary across different groups.
“This allows us to build a much richer understanding of how this issue relates to wider health behaviours.”
