A new study found that a growing proportion of 11 to 15-year-olds are happier than teenagers a decade ago but did not prefer personal social interactions.

"We have seen a decline in young people experiencing bullying, drinking alcohol weekly, and increasing numbers living free from tobacco and cannabis," said Dr. Candace Currie, study coordinator from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
The results show that over the last decade an increasing proportion of adolescents eat fruit and vegetables, are physically active on a daily basis, keep their teeth clean, practice safe sex, and find it easy to talk to their parents about things that matter to them.
The report suggested that the general feeling that young people are better off today could also be attributed to changes in fashion, behavioural norms and societal values. However, if there was one thing teens today did not do as well as their predecessors, it was personal social interaction.
In what researchers called the "Facebook effect", teenagers today are more likely to stay in the rooms and play with gadgets than go out and be with their friends.
Source-IANS