Mental well-being and the impact of social media on the lives of young people dominated social and behavioural projects at this year’s BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and were a favourite among thousands of younger visitors to Dublin’s RDS. The dominance of social media in the lives of second-level students prompted them to investigate the prevalence of the social anxiety phenomenon known as “fear of missing out (FOMO)”. Boys used social media “for business”; especially activities they were engaging in and “less about what they are worried about”. “We found that vulnerable social media users are more at risk of social anxiety, when they don’t understand social media may not be a true reflection of life,” Caitriona said. He conducted two surveys, six weeks apart, on first year students and was struck by indications of improvement in their mental health.

Source: The Irish Times January 14, 2018 18:11 UTC