According to a preliminary study conducted among young individuals, increased use of social media during the coronavirus pandemic was associated with tic severity and decreased quality of life.

In an abstract released ahead of the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, Jessica Frey, of the University of Florida in Gainesville, stated that among 20 adolescents and young adults with tics, 85% had worsening of tic frequencies during the pandemic and 50% reported that social media had a negative impact on their tics.

The study included patients with tics, aged between 11 and 21 years. The patients completed a survey that evaluated time spent on social media, frequency of tics, severity of tics, and their overall quality of life.

Around 65% of the patients reported using social media four to five times a day (mean 5.6 hours/day). About 90% reported using social media more during the pandemic than previously. Only 5% of the participants reported using social media for information about tics. There was no significant correlation between social media use and self-reported frequency of tics at the time of the survey or since the onset of the pandemic. However, researchers noted a statistically significant correlation between tic severity, quality of life, and social media use during the pandemic… (Medpage Today)