A new study from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has found that high social media use, body dissatisfaction, and engagement in sexting are strongly associated with poorer mental health and increased risk of self-harm among Irish adolescents.

Based on survey data from more than 4,000 teenagers predominantly aged 15-16 across both rural and urban areas collected just after the COVID-19 pandemic, the research highlights key risk factors affecting adolescent mental health. The findings also reveal that girls reported poorer mental health than boys and higher levels of several risk markers.

The study, led by Professor Mary Cannon, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health at RCSI, is published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine.

Adolescents who spent more than four hours per day on social media were significantly more likely to report symptoms of poor mental health. Body dissatisfaction was reported by 60% of girls compared to 36% of boys and was strongly linked to self-harm and lower emotional well-being.

While the study did not examine which apps adolescents used or how they engaged with them, the authors speculate that image-focused platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, along with appearance-based content targeted at young women, may contribute to lower body image and poorer mental health in girls.

Sexting behaviours – including sending sexually explicit images and experiencing non-consensual sharing of such content – were also associated with poorer mental health and increased risk of self-harm in both boys and girls. In total, 16.5% of participants reported having sent a sexually explicit image, while nearly 20% (19.9%) reported having one shared without their consent.

“Our study highlights how these common aspects of modern teenage life, like social media use and online sexual communication, may be contributing to declining mental health among young people in Ireland, particularly teenage girls,” said Professor Cannon. “We need to take these risk factors seriously and ensure that young people are supported in developing healthy digital habits and emotional resilience.”

With rising rates of self-harm and mental health disorders among young women in Ireland and internationally, the findings offer valuable insights for policy, education and public health strategies aimed at improving digital literacy and safeguarding adolescent well-being.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers at RCSI’s Department of Psychiatry and the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science, including Delia Cotter and Dr Niamh Dooley, in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin and King’s College London. It was supported by the Health Research Board, an RCSI Summer Studentship, the DOROTHY grant funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and by Research Ireland.