Study: Increased Cellphone Use Linked To Depression In Young People

BALTIMORE (CBS) -- A new study finds that increased cellphone use is triggering depression in young people.

According to CBC News, Dr. Ramin Mojtabai of John's Hopkins University and his researchers found that major depressive episodes increased in adolescents from 8.7 percent in 2005 to 11.3 percent in 2014.

"For example, cyberbullying may have increased more dramatically among girls than boys," the researchers wrote in the study. "As compared with adolescent boys, adolescent girls also now use mobile phones with texting applications more frequently and intensively and problematic mobile phone use among young people has been linked to depressed mood."

The researchers used data from national surveys on drug use and health from 2005 to 2014 for adolescents aged 12 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 25, according to CBC News.

Adolescents self-reported the depressive episodes.

The study shows that nearly 1 in 11 adolescents and young adults have a major depressive episode over a 12-month period.

CBC News reports that researchers believe adolescent girls could have been exposed to a greater degree of depression risk factors compared to boys.

"Depression is a sizeable and growing deadly threat to our U.S. adolescent population," wrote Dr. Anne Glowinski, of Washington University's child and adolescent psychiatry department.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.