A recent study by HSBC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) found that Maltese teenage girls ranked second out of 44 countries for signs of addictive social media use.
The study revealed that nearly one in four Maltese adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 showed patterns of problematic social media behavior, with girls being more affected than boys.
Among 13-year-olds, 28% of girls and 14% of boys displayed signs of excessive use, while for 15-year-olds, the figures were 24% for girls and 13% for boys. In the youngest age group, 18% of 11-year-old girls and 11% of boys exhibited similar behaviors.
The findings highlighted that problematic social media use was more common among teenage girls, while boys were more likely to struggle with issues related to excessive gaming and adolescent gambling.