Table 4.
Use and trends in use, of social media for the eleven study countries (hypothesis: if rises in suicide rates are associated with growth in social media use, all countries will have experienced a rise in the incidence of suicide in 15-24 year olds, and increases in suicide will be greatest in countries that have experienced the greatest increases in social media use)
| Country | Social Media trends, 2013-2017 (% using for ≥3hr/day) | % using social media for ≥3 hours a day, 2013 (rank⁎) |
|---|---|---|
| Countries where suicide rates are rising | ||
| Australia | ↑ (24.6 to 34.1%) | 24.6 (5) |
| UK | ↑ (26.4 to 39.8%) | 26.4 (3) |
| USA | ↑ (26.5 to 33.5%) | 26.5 (2) |
| Canada | ↑ (22.5 to 36.0%) | 22.5 (6) |
| Countries where suicide rates are not rising | ||
| France | ↑ (20.7 to 26.3%) | 20.7 (7) |
| Germany | ↑ (18.8 to 23.4%) | 18.8 (9) |
| Italy | ↔ (32.0 to 32.6%) | 32.0 (1) |
| Japan | ↑ (2.2 to 17.3%) | 2.2 (11) |
| Poland | ↑ (20.5 to 28.8%) | 20.5 (8) |
| Republic of Korea | ↑ (7.2 to 20.9%) | 7.2 (10) |
| Spain | ↑ (25.7 to 34.3%) | 25.7 (4) |
| Wilcoxon rank sum test (comparing countries where rates are and are not rising) | z= -0.76 (p=- 0.45) | z=-1.51 (p=-0.13) |
⁎
1= highest use; 11=lowest use