Social media use and sleep health among adolescents in Canada

Public health concerns over the impact of social media use (SMU) on adolescent health are growing. We investigated the relationship between SMU and sleep health in adolescents in Canada aged 11 to 17 years.

Data from the 2017-2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were available for 12 557 participants (55.2% female). SMU was categorized by frequency of use (non-active, active and intense) and the presence of addiction-like symptoms (problematic). Mixed effects logistic regression models identified associations between SMU and seven sleep health indicators (insomnia symptoms, daytime wakefulness problems, screen time before bed, meeting sleep duration recommendations, sleep variability and late bedtime on school and non-school days).

Compared to active SMU, non-active SMU was associated with better sleep indicators, except for insomnia symptoms. Intense SMU was associated with greater odds of having poor sleep health indicators (adjusted odds ratio [aORs] from 1.09 to 2.24) and problematic SMU with the highest odds (aORs from 1.67 to 3.24). Associations with problematic SMU were greater among girls than boys, including having a later bedtime on school days (aOR = 3.74 vs. 1.84) and on non-school days (aOR = 4.13 vs. 2.18). Associations between SMU and sleep outcomes did not differ by age group.

Intense and problematic SMU were associated with greater odds of poor sleep health among adolescents in Canada, with stronger associations among girls than boys. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying associations between SMU and sleep to inform public health recommendations.