A new study surveying over 1000 teens in China reveals that teens with heavy Internet use habits are more at risk for depression.

“Given the results obtained from the study, even mentally healthy young people may succumb to depression after a long exposure of problematic use of the Internet,” says Lawrence T. Lam, Principal Investigator of the study. “The mental health consequences of problematic Internet use for those who have already had a history of psychological or psychiatric problems would be more damaging. Parents should be vigilant about their children’s online behavior.”

Michael Gilbert, senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, told BusinessWeek that the study results are not surprising given what he hears from parents about their children’s Internet use.

“Parents are indicating to us that a lot of their children’s friendship circles are contracting by reason of the fact they are spending too much time on the Internet,” he said. “This ties in generally with the notion that Internet behavior is becoming disruptive in the family.”

For the readers that have kids, do you set rules on how much time your child is allowed on the Internet? Do you find the results of the study surprising or are they what you would assume?

Filed under: Internet Safety News