George Dickson, manager of the Bourke PCYC says the latest findings that the potential for being judged online affects the ability of adolescents to concentrate on everyday tasks, does not surprise him.

"We definitely see the link between social media and issues between young people," he said. "It is so easy for things to be misinterpreted on-line without face to face contact where things can be explained. This has a huge impact on mental health."

According to Dr Susanne Schweizer, a psychologist from UNSW Sydney, much research has been directed at understanding the impact of online interactions on adolescents’ wellbeing and cognitive functioning. 

"But the evidence is mixed, leaving us parents, policymakers and educators at a loss as to whether we should encourage or prevent social media use in our young people,” she said.

At the crux of this conversation is that, historically and evolutionarily, our social interactions have been face-to-face, says Dr Schweizer, backing up the experiences of Mr Dickson and PCYC staff.

“With these face-to-face social interactions, the feedback or response you get is immediate. That's not necessarily the case online, where there’s always the potential to be evaluated, and feedback is ongoing.”

Mr Dickson, said staff at PCYC are acutely aware of the problem and have looked at education as a way of treating the issues.

"Previously, we ran a program called 'Fit to Strive' which touched on on-line safety. We often see physical altercations between youths that come directly from on-line media and are very keen to change this," he said.

In adolescence, it is normal for children to focus more on interactions with peers than with family members. Social interactions at this time help develop a sense of self and wellbeing but with adolescents now spending an average of six hours on-line, the majority on social media, it's a new playing field for parents and caregivers.

Mr Dickson said social media is not "going anywhere" and that providing wi-fi at the centre was a double edged sword.

"The wi-fi definitely attracts kids into our space," he said. "But we also know that continually staring at a screen is not good for mental health. They know the wi-fi is switched off in the centre at 8pm and so after that it is much easier to then encourage face to face interaction."

Mr Dickson said that while alternate activities are always encouraged, after the wi-fi is switched off, it was easier to encourage physical activity like "shooting hoops". 

"While they can access the wi-fi, often our young people will download songs which we can listen to over speakers during activities," he said. "So it does have its positives."

"Coming up, we are introducing another health and wellbeing program called 'Grit'. Use of social media will definitely come up in the program.

"We are seeing younger kids now glued to their phones. This trend isn't going to go away, so it’s a matter of educating kids in safe social media use."