Social Media & Teen Mental Health

Mental HealthTeens

Jun 7

By Gabrielle Beaudoin, Psychology Assistant, Bradley REACH

The U.S. Surgeon General recently published an advisory on social media and youth mental health, citing these negative consequences:

Spending more than three hours per day on social media puts teens at double the risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other negative mental health related outcomes.

There may be an especially high risk for worsening mental health symptoms for teen girls and those who already struggle with their mental health when using social media.

Social media may also perpetuate cyberbullying-related depression, body image and disordered eating behaviors, and poor sleep quality.

But for many teens, social media has become part of everyday life.

According to recent data, 35% of teens use one of the top five social media sites (i.e., YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook) “almost constantly,” and 97% of teens say they use the internet at least daily. Whether it’s scrolling through TikTok, sharing a post on Instagram, or “snapping” their friends, adolescents spend an hour and a half per day on average on social media. Teens spend eight and a half hours per day on average on screens, which may include social media use, watching television, playing video games, etc.

While previous generations had snail mail and dial-up, teens now have the complexities of the world at their fingertips, which has its benefits, but also real implications for their mental health. Most of the research that exists on how social media influences teens is based on self-report, correlational data. This means we cannot say social media is the cause of a teen feeling one way or another, but the data does suggest these conclusions have merit and should be explored through other reliable means of research. Based on the information we have now, we do see a connection between social media and negative mental health symptoms.

Despite these findings, there are positive impacts of social media, too.

It creates a platform for connecting over shared experiences and provides instant access to people around the world that may be able to offer support (including through programs like Bradley REACH). It provides vast amounts of information about everything from top news headlines to step-by-step tutorials of the latest TikTok dances (if you’re feeling brave, try following along with these guys dancing to a REACH favorite). The Surgeon General’s advisory also found:

58% of teens say social media helps them feel accepted
67% of teens say social media helps them feel they have people they can go to when they need support
80% of teens say social media helps them feel more connected to their friends’ lives

So how do we make the most of the benefits of social media while reducing negative consequences?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends monitoring what types of social media teens are using, how they are using it, how much they are using it, and what positive and negative experiences they have had with it. Once these things are measured, helpful boundaries (e.g., time limits on social media, caregiver monitoring of used sites, or check-ins about usage) may be put in place.

As with other areas of mental health, the key is good communication and support while navigating this virtual world.