Prevalence of Problematic Use of Social Media

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Social Networks; Addiction

• Registration Number: NCT06798480
• Lead Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Brief Summary

In 2023, French individuals spend an average of two hours per day on social media platforms (SM), primarily Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. While social media offers undeniable benefits, it also raises concerns about its impact on mental health and well-being. These impacts remain poorly understood, partly due to the diversity of social media uses and motivations, which do not have uniform effects on health. For instance, studies have shown that "active" use of social media (e.g., content creation) is associated with higher well-being, whereas "passive" use (e.g., content scrolling) is linked to lower well-being.

This challenge in understanding the variety of social media uses and their consequences has direct clinical implications. Clinicians working in pediatrics, child psychiatry, and addiction medicine are increasingly confronted with patients struggling to manage their social media use. However, they lack clear diagnostic criteria to differentiate between normal and problematic use, as well as specific tools tailored to address potential disorders.

Moreover, in France, there is no existing estimate of the proportion of the general population affected by problematic social media use.

This study aims to establish the prevalence of problematic use of social media in France. The investigators hypothesize that the prevalence will be close to 10%, which is the prevalence that has been found in other European countries in previous studies.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-01-20
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-01-27
• Study First Posted: 2025-01-29
• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-28
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-05
• Study Start: 2025-04-01
• Primary Completion: 2025-07-01
• Study Completion: 2025-07-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1000

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 13 years or older.
• Resident in France and French-speaking.
• Does not object to participating in the study, and, for minors, whose parents also do not object to their participation.

Exclusion Criteria

• Unable to understand and complete the questionnaire (e.g., non-French-speaking).

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Prevalence of problematic use of social media.	baseline	Outcome measure: Problematic use will be identified if the participant endorses at least 6 out of 9 items on the French version of the Social Media Addiction Scale. The prevalence of problematic use will be calculated as the number of participants with problematic use divided by the total number of participants.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Hospices Civils de Lyon; 🇫🇷 Lyon, France