{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T23:57:37Z","timestamp":1789084657456,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,27]],"date-time":"2023-12-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1703635200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Research has shown increased mental health problems and use of prescription drugs among adolescents in recent years and social media use has been linked to poorer mental health. However, trend studies concerning these topics are scarce. The purpose of this study was to analyze gender-specific trends in a) symptoms of depression and loneliness, and b) prescription of antidepressants, hypnotics and sedatives, in relation to the emergence of social media among adolescents in Norway.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This is an ecological study using data from the \u2018Young in Oslo\u2019 surveys from 1996 to 2021. The surveys included approximately 110 000 students, 14\u201317 years of age, and yielded a response rate varying from 95% in 1996 to 64% in 2021. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect information on symptoms of depression and loneliness. Information on antidepressant and sleep medication prescription was retrieved from the Norwegian Prescription Database for the age group 15 to 19 years. A graphical approach and logistic regression models were used to examine gender-specific time-trends between 1996 to 2021.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>We found a doubling in self-reported symptoms of depression and loneliness among girls between 1996 and 2021, with the steepest increase in the period from 2006 to 2012, when Facebook and other social media were introduced. A similar trend was observed in the prescription of antidepressants among girls, with the steepest increase between 2011 and 2013. Among both boys and girls, \u2018worried too much about things\u2019 and \u2018had sleep problems\u2019 were the two symptoms with the greatest changes.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A significant upward trend in self-reported depressive symptoms and medication use was observed over the past 25 years, with variations in the rate of increase, including a steeper trajectory during certain periods immediately after the introduction of social media platforms in Norway.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0295384","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,27]],"date-time":"2023-12-27T18:21:16Z","timestamp":1703701276000},"page":"e0295384","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Time trends in self-reported depressive symptoms, prescription of antidepressants, sedatives and hypnotics and the emergence of social media among Norwegian adolescents"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0480-9208","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Lars","family":"Lien","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6315-1111","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Tore","family":"Bonsaksen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tonje","family":"Holte Stea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annette L\u00f8vheim","family":"Kleppang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anne Mari","family":"Steigen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0528-3949","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Marja","family":"Leonhardt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,27]]},"reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0295384.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e057654","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2021-057654","article-title":"Divergent decennial trends in mental health according to age reveal poorer mental health for young people: repeated cross-sectional population-based surveys from the HUNT Study, Norway.","volume":"12","author":"S Krokstad","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"pone.0295384.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2020.03.082","article-title":"Trends in prevalence of depression in Germany between 2009 and 2017 based on nationwide ambulatory claims data","volume":"271","author":"A Steffen","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0295384.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"496","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2021.08.026","article-title":"Prevalence of Depression Among Adolescents in the U.S. From 2009 to 2019: Analysis of Trends by Sex, Race\/Ethnicity, and Income","volume":"70","author":"M. Daly","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Adolesc Health."},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0295384.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1249","DOI":"10.1007\/s00127-020-01979-6","article-title":"Decline of depressive symptoms in Europe: differential trends across the lifespan.","volume":"56","author":"J Beller","year":"2021","journal-title":"Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology."},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0295384.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"856","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/ckx111","article-title":"The increase in symptoms of anxiety and depressed mood among Icelandic adolescents: time trend between 2006 and 2016","volume":"27","author":"IE Thorisdottir","year":"2017","journal-title":"European journal of public health"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0295384.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1007\/s10802-013-9785-1","article-title":"Secular Trends in Depressive Symptoms Among Norwegian Adolescents from 1992 to 2010","volume":"42","author":"T von Soest","year":"2014","journal-title":"Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology"},{"key":"pone.0295384.ref007","article-title":"Legemiddelbruk hos barn og unge i Norge 2008\u20132017.","author":"HV Furu K","year":"2018","journal-title":"[Use of prescription drugs in children and adolescents in Norway 2007\u20132016]. 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