Health Care Trends With a Social Media Twist

Too much social networking can be harmful to teens

While we all know there are many benefits and positive outcomes resulting from being socially connected, one new study shows that too much of a good thing, is bad for teens.

A new study warns that excessive use of social media -- specifically, "hypertexting" (sending more than 120 messages
per school day) and "hypernetworking" (spending more than three hours
per day on sites like Facebook) -- is linked to dangerous health
problems and antisocial behavior in teens.

These teens are more likely to develop including smoking, risky sex, depression, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, fighting, becoming cyber victims, thinking about suicide and absenteeism.

Lead researcher Dr. Scott Frink notes that this is a wake up call for parents to more closely monitor their teens' use of social media, especially as most of the teens in the study found to be excessive social media users, rated their parents as permissive.

Read more about the study and its findings here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/health/research/16behavior.html?_...