社交媒体带来的恐慌症

Nearly half of millennials fear their addiction to social media is having a negative effect on their mental and physical health.

将近一半的千禧一代为他们因沉迷于社交媒体对身心健康产生的消极影响感到忧虑。

A new survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) found about 90 per cent of people aged 18-29 were using social media, up from just 12 per cent in 2005.

美国心理学协会的最新研究表明，在18到29岁年龄段中有90%的人使用社交软件，在2005年仅有12%。

The APA report said: “Technology has improved life for many Americans, and nearly half of this country’s adults say they can’t imagine life without their smartphones.

美国心理学协会报道：“科技提高了很多美国人的生活质量，有将近一半的城市成年人称他们无法想象没有智能手机的生活。”

“The survey showed, nearly all adults (99 per cent) own at least one electronic device (including a television). Almost nine in 10 (86 per cent) own a computer, 74 per cent own an internet-connected smartphone and 55 per cent own a tablet.

“研究表明，几乎所有成年人（99%）拥有至少一个电子设备（包括电视）。将近十分之九的人（86%）拥有电脑，74%的人拥有可网络连接的智能手机，55%的人拥有平板电脑。”

“At the same time, numerous studies have described consequences of technology use, including negative impacts on physical and mental health.”

“同时，许多研究论述了使用高科技后的影响，包括对身心健康的消极影响。”

Of the social media platforms, Facebook was the most frequently visited with 79 per cent on adults using it last year.

脸书是人们最常使用的社交媒体平台，去年有79%的成年人在使用。

In second place was Instagram with 32 per cent, then Pinterest and LinkedIn, both on 29 per cent, and Twitter with 24 per cent.

其次是Ins，有32%人使用，再有29%的人使用Pinterest和LinkedIn，有24%的人使用推特。

Many millennials, defined as those aged between 18 and 37, were concerned about how much time they were spending on social media.

许多千禧一代，指年龄在18至37岁的人，十分关心他们花了多少时间在社交媒体上。

“Almost half (48 per cent) worry about the negative effects of social media on their physical and mental health," the report said.

“将近一半（48%）的人担心社交媒体对他们身心健康造成的消极影响。”报道说。

The researchers also identified a group of people so attached to their gadgets that they were constantly or often checking their emails, texts or social media accounts.

研究人员还发现了一部分人十分依赖他们的工具，他们经常检查他们的邮箱、记事本或者社交媒体账户。

APA said: “More than a decade after the emergence of smartphones, Facebook and Twitter, a profile is emerging of the 'constant checker'. Such avid technology and social media use has paved the way for the 'constant checker', those who constantly check their emails, texts or social media accounts.”

美国心理协会说：“智能手机、脸书和推特兴起后十多年，‘持续检查者’也开始兴起。这样狂热的科技和社交媒体流行风潮为那些经常检查邮箱、记事本和社交媒体账户的‘持续检查者’铺平了道路。”

These ‘constant checkers’ reported higher stress levels than their less-connected peers.

据报道，这些“持续检查者”的压力系数高于那些不太依赖社交媒体的人们。

On a 10-point scale, with one being little or no stress and 10 being a great deal of stress, this group reported overall stress levels of 5.3 compared to an average of 4.4.

在十分制评估模型里，1代表很少或者没有压力，10代表压力很大。这一类人的压力系数是5.3，高于平均数值4.4。