If your kid is spending more time on social media, then he or she may be at risk of developing poor mental health, high psychological distress and even suicidal thoughts. The paper appeared in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking.

The researchers Hugues Sampasa-Kanyinga, MD and Rosamund Lewis, MD, Ottawa Public Health (Ottawa, Canada) analysed data on students in grades 7-12 from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. About 25 percent of students reported using social networking sites for more than 2 hours daily.

"The findings send an important message to parents and suggest an opportunity to increase mental health support service offerings on these websites," the authors noted.

"Since teenagers are on the sites, it is the perfect place for public health and service providers to reach out and connect with this vulnerable population and provide health promotion systems and supports," Wiederhold added.

Experts advise parents not to allow their kids for more than 2 hours a day.

By Lizitha