--- title: Is starting your period early linked to spending more time on social media? description: Yes. Girls who started their periods at a younger age spent more hours each day on social media. Higher body weight partially explained this link. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-onset-of-menstruation-and-social-networking-site-use-in-adolescent-girls-the-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is starting your period early linked to spending more time on social media? Survey study, 2021 # Is starting your period early linked to spending more time on social media? Yes. Girls who started their periods at a younger age spent more hours each day on social media. Higher body weight partially explained this link. Moderate study design Adolescent girls in the United Kingdom, nationally representative sample ## What they did Researchers studied a nationally representative sample of adolescent girls in the United Kingdom. They examined whether the age girls started menstruating was linked to how much time they spent on social media daily, and whether body weight explained any of this connection. ## What they found Earlier age of first menstruation was linked to more daily hours spent on social media. Increases in body mass index partially explained this association. ## What it means for you This study found a connection between early menstruation and increased social media use, with higher body weight playing a partial role. Because this was observational, we cannot tell if early menstruation causes more social media use or if something else causes both. ## About the study Original title The Onset of Menstruation and Social Networking Site Use in Adolescent Girls: The Mediating Role of Body Mass Index Authors Lv C, Turel O, He Q Journal International journal of environmental research and public health Year 2021 Study design Survey study What was tested None. The study looked at the natural age of first period and existing social media use. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199942](https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199942) Original abstract Evidence suggests that girls spend much time on social networking sites (SNS), often more than boys do. It has been proposed that this may have to do with sex-based differences in the need and approaches for socialization. We posit that adolescent girls are also unique in that they are developing physiologically and start menstruating. Based on prior research, we hypothesize that the onset of menstruation can drive physiological changes (increased body mass index (BMI)), which together with common behavioral-psychological (social and emotional) responses to menstruation can contribute to an increase in SNS use. We therefore aim to test whether BMI partially mediates the relationship between menstruation and SNS use in adolescent girls. Results based on a large nationally representative sample in the United Kingdom suggest that the age of menarche was negatively associated with daily hours of SNS use, and that BMI elevation partially mediated this association. These results extend the negative effects of the early onset of menstruation and imply that BMI control strategies may help to reduce the use of SNS in girls who experience menarche at an earlier age. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Randomised trial, 2025 Does mood, well-being, and sexual function change across the menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Systematic review, 2025 Does alcohol use affect menstrual health in teenage girls? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗