negative impact of social media on youth essay

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Social media harms teens’ mental health, mounting evidence shows. what now.

Understanding what is going on in teens’ minds is necessary for targeted policy suggestions

Most teens use social media, often for hours on end. Some social scientists are confident that such use is harming their mental health. Now they want to pinpoint what explains the link.

Carol Yepes/Getty Images

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By Sujata Gupta

February 20, 2024 at 7:30 am

In January, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, appeared at a congressional hearing to answer questions about how social media potentially harms children. Zuckerberg opened by saying: “The existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health.”

But many social scientists would disagree with that statement. In recent years, studies have started to show a causal link between teen social media use and reduced well-being or mood disorders, chiefly depression and anxiety.

Ironically, one of the most cited studies into this link focused on Facebook.

Researchers delved into whether the platform’s introduction across college campuses in the mid 2000s increased symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. The answer was a clear yes , says MIT economist Alexey Makarin, a coauthor of the study, which appeared in the November 2022 American Economic Review . “There is still a lot to be explored,” Makarin says, but “[to say] there is no causal evidence that social media causes mental health issues, to that I definitely object.”

The concern, and the studies, come from statistics showing that social media use in teens ages 13 to 17 is now almost ubiquitous. Two-thirds of teens report using TikTok, and some 60 percent of teens report using Instagram or Snapchat, a 2022 survey found. (Only 30 percent said they used Facebook.) Another survey showed that girls, on average, allot roughly 3.4 hours per day to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, compared with roughly 2.1 hours among boys. At the same time, more teens are showing signs of depression than ever, especially girls ( SN: 6/30/23 ).

As more studies show a strong link between these phenomena, some researchers are starting to shift their attention to possible mechanisms. Why does social media use seem to trigger mental health problems? Why are those effects unevenly distributed among different groups, such as girls or young adults? And can the positives of social media be teased out from the negatives to provide more targeted guidance to teens, their caregivers and policymakers?

“You can’t design good public policy if you don’t know why things are happening,” says Scott Cunningham, an economist at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Increasing rigor

Concerns over the effects of social media use in children have been circulating for years, resulting in a massive body of scientific literature. But those mostly correlational studies could not show if teen social media use was harming mental health or if teens with mental health problems were using more social media.

Moreover, the findings from such studies were often inconclusive, or the effects on mental health so small as to be inconsequential. In one study that received considerable media attention, psychologists Amy Orben and Andrew Przybylski combined data from three surveys to see if they could find a link between technology use, including social media, and reduced well-being. The duo gauged the well-being of over 355,000 teenagers by focusing on questions around depression, suicidal thinking and self-esteem.

Digital technology use was associated with a slight decrease in adolescent well-being , Orben, now of the University of Cambridge, and Przybylski, of the University of Oxford, reported in 2019 in Nature Human Behaviour . But the duo downplayed that finding, noting that researchers have observed similar drops in adolescent well-being associated with drinking milk, going to the movies or eating potatoes.

Holes have begun to appear in that narrative thanks to newer, more rigorous studies.

In one longitudinal study, researchers — including Orben and Przybylski — used survey data on social media use and well-being from over 17,400 teens and young adults to look at how individuals’ responses to a question gauging life satisfaction changed between 2011 and 2018. And they dug into how the responses varied by gender, age and time spent on social media.

Social media use was associated with a drop in well-being among teens during certain developmental periods, chiefly puberty and young adulthood, the team reported in 2022 in Nature Communications . That translated to lower well-being scores around ages 11 to 13 for girls and ages 14 to 15 for boys. Both groups also reported a drop in well-being around age 19. Moreover, among the older teens, the team found evidence for the Goldilocks Hypothesis: the idea that both too much and too little time spent on social media can harm mental health.

“There’s hardly any effect if you look over everybody. But if you look at specific age groups, at particularly what [Orben] calls ‘windows of sensitivity’ … you see these clear effects,” says L.J. Shrum, a consumer psychologist at HEC Paris who was not involved with this research. His review of studies related to teen social media use and mental health is forthcoming in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.

Cause and effect

That longitudinal study hints at causation, researchers say. But one of the clearest ways to pin down cause and effect is through natural or quasi-experiments. For these in-the-wild experiments, researchers must identify situations where the rollout of a societal “treatment” is staggered across space and time. They can then compare outcomes among members of the group who received the treatment to those still in the queue — the control group.

That was the approach Makarin and his team used in their study of Facebook. The researchers homed in on the staggered rollout of Facebook across 775 college campuses from 2004 to 2006. They combined that rollout data with student responses to the National College Health Assessment, a widely used survey of college students’ mental and physical health.

The team then sought to understand if those survey questions captured diagnosable mental health problems. Specifically, they had roughly 500 undergraduate students respond to questions both in the National College Health Assessment and in validated screening tools for depression and anxiety. They found that mental health scores on the assessment predicted scores on the screenings. That suggested that a drop in well-being on the college survey was a good proxy for a corresponding increase in diagnosable mental health disorders. 

Compared with campuses that had not yet gained access to Facebook, college campuses with Facebook experienced a 2 percentage point increase in the number of students who met the diagnostic criteria for anxiety or depression, the team found.

When it comes to showing a causal link between social media use in teens and worse mental health, “that study really is the crown jewel right now,” says Cunningham, who was not involved in that research.

A need for nuance

The social media landscape today is vastly different than the landscape of 20 years ago. Facebook is now optimized for maximum addiction, Shrum says, and other newer platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, have since copied and built on those features. Paired with the ubiquity of social media in general, the negative effects on mental health may well be larger now.

Moreover, social media research tends to focus on young adults — an easier cohort to study than minors. That needs to change, Cunningham says. “Most of us are worried about our high school kids and younger.” 

And so, researchers must pivot accordingly. Crucially, simple comparisons of social media users and nonusers no longer make sense. As Orben and Przybylski’s 2022 work suggested, a teen not on social media might well feel worse than one who briefly logs on. 

Researchers must also dig into why, and under what circumstances, social media use can harm mental health, Cunningham says. Explanations for this link abound. For instance, social media is thought to crowd out other activities or increase people’s likelihood of comparing themselves unfavorably with others. But big data studies, with their reliance on existing surveys and statistical analyses, cannot address those deeper questions. “These kinds of papers, there’s nothing you can really ask … to find these plausible mechanisms,” Cunningham says.

One ongoing effort to understand social media use from this more nuanced vantage point is the SMART Schools project out of the University of Birmingham in England. Pedagogical expert Victoria Goodyear and her team are comparing mental and physical health outcomes among children who attend schools that have restricted cell phone use to those attending schools without such a policy. The researchers described the protocol of that study of 30 schools and over 1,000 students in the July BMJ Open.

Goodyear and colleagues are also combining that natural experiment with qualitative research. They met with 36 five-person focus groups each consisting of all students, all parents or all educators at six of those schools. The team hopes to learn how students use their phones during the day, how usage practices make students feel, and what the various parties think of restrictions on cell phone use during the school day.

Talking to teens and those in their orbit is the best way to get at the mechanisms by which social media influences well-being — for better or worse, Goodyear says. Moving beyond big data to this more personal approach, however, takes considerable time and effort. “Social media has increased in pace and momentum very, very quickly,” she says. “And research takes a long time to catch up with that process.”

Until that catch-up occurs, though, researchers cannot dole out much advice. “What guidance could we provide to young people, parents and schools to help maintain the positives of social media use?” Goodyear asks. “There’s not concrete evidence yet.”

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The Pros and Cons of Social Media for Youth

A new review article looks at how social media affects well-being in youth...

Posted October 16, 2021 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

• Social media has both positive and negative effects on well-being in youth.
• Social media impacts four distinct areas for youth: connections, identity, learning, and emotions.

More than 90 percent of teenagers in the U.S. have a smartphone. Access to this type of technology and social networking changes the playing field for young people who are simultaneously developing a sense of identity and new social relationships.

We have certainly heard about the downside of teens and smartphones: cyberbullying, anxiety , and a misrepresented sense of body image . Research demonstrates there are some benefits too, including the ability to keep in touch with friends and loved ones – especially when the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person social interactions.

A new systematic review published in the journal Adolescent Research Review combines the evidence from qualitative studies that investigate adolescent social media use.

The authors found, in short, that the links between adolescent well-being and social media are complicated and depend on a broad range of factors.

“Adults have always been concerned about how the latest technology will harm children,” said Amanda Purington, director of evaluation and research for ACT for Youth in the BCTR and a doctoral candidate in Cornell’s Social Media Lab. “This goes back to radio programs, comic books, novels – you name it, adults were worried about it. The same is now true for social media. And yes, there are concerns – there are many potential risks and harms. But there are potential benefits, too.”

Reviewing 19 studies of young people ages 11 to 20, the authors identified four major themes related to social media and well-being that ultimately affected aspects of young people’s mental health and sense of self.

The first theme, connections, describes how social media either supports or hinders young people’s relationships with their peers, friends, and family. The studies in the review provided plenty of examples of ways that social media helped youth build connections with others. Participants reported that social media helped to create intimacy with friends and could improve popularity. Youth who said they were shy reported having an easier time making friends through social media. Studies also found social media was useful in keeping in touch with family and friends who live far away and allowing groups to communicate in masse. In seven papers, participants identified social media as a source of support and reassurance.

In 13 of the papers, youth reported that social media also harmed their connections with others. They provided examples of bullying and threats and an atmosphere of criticism and negativity during social media interactions. Youth cited the anonymity of social media as part of the problem, as well as miscommunication that can occur online.

Study participants also reported a feeling of disconnection associated with relationships on social media. Some youth felt rejected or left out when their social media posts did not receive the feedback they expected. Others reported feeling frustrated, lonely , or paranoid about being left out.

The second theme, identity, describes how adolescents are supported or frustrated on social media in trying to develop their identities.

Youth in many of the studies described how social media helped them to “come out of their shells” and express their true identities. They reported liking the ability to write and edit their thoughts and use images to express themselves. They reported that feedback they received on social media helped to bolster their self-confidence and they reported enjoying the ability to look back on memories to keep track of how their identity changed over time.

In eight studies, youth described ways that social media led to inauthentic representations of themselves. They felt suspicious that others would use photo editing to disguise their identities and complained about how easy it was to deliver communications slyly, rather than with the honesty required in face-to-face communication. They also felt self-conscious about posting selfies, and reported that the feedback they received would affect their feelings of self-worth .

The third theme, learning, describes how social media use supports or hinders education . In many studies, participants reported how social media helped to broaden their perspectives and expose them to new ideas and topics. Many youths specifically cited exposure to political and social movements, such as Black Lives Matter.

On the flip side, youth in five studies reported that social media interfered with their education. They said that phone notifications and the pressure to constantly check in on social media distracted them from their studies. Participants reported that they found it difficult to spend quiet time alone without checking their phones. Others said the 24-7 nature of social media kept them up too late at night, making it difficult to get up for school the next day.

The fourth theme, emotions, describes the ways that social media impacts young people’s emotional experiences in both positive and negative ways. In 11 papers, participants reported that social media had a positive effect on their emotions. Some reported it improved their mood, helped them to feel excited, and often prompted laughter . (Think funny animal videos.) Others reported that social media helped to alleviate negative moods, including annoyance, anger , and boredom . They described logging onto social media as a form of stress management .

But in nearly all of the papers included in the review, participants said social media was a source of worry and pressure. Participants expressed concern about judgment from their peers. They often felt embarrassed about how they looked in images. Many participants expressed worry that they were addicted to social media. Others fretted about leaving a digital footprint that would affect them later in life. Many participants reported experiencing pressure to constantly respond and stay connected on social media. And a smaller number of participants reported feeling disturbed by encountering troubling content, such as self-harm and seeing former partners in new relationships.

“As this review article highlights, social media provides spaces for adolescents to work on some of the central developmental tasks of their age, such as forming deeper connections with peers and exploring identity,” Purington said. “I believe the key is to help youth maximize these benefits while minimizing risks, and we can do this by educating youth about how to use social media in ways that are positive, safe, and prosocial.”

The take-home message: The body of evidence on social media and well-being paints a complicated picture of how this new technology is affecting youth. While there are certainly benefits when young people use social media, there is also a broad range of pressures and negative consequences.

The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University is focused on using research findings to improve health and well-being of people at all stages of life.

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How social media’s toxic content sends teens into ‘a dangerous spiral’

October 8, 2021 –  Eating disorders expert Bryn Austin , professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences , discusses the recent revelation that Facebook has long known that its Instagram app is harming teens ’ mental health .

Q: Leaked documents from Facebook show that the company has known for at least two years that its Instagram app is making body image issues worse for teens, particularly girls. What’s your reaction to this news?

A: I was aghast at the news—but not surprised. We’ve known for years that social media platforms—especially image-based platforms like Instagram—have very harmful effects on teen mental health, especially for teens struggling with body image, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. From experimental research, we know that Instagram, with its algorithmically-driven feeds of content tailored to each user’s engagement patterns, can draw vulnerable teens into a dangerous spiral of negative social comparison and hook them onto unrealistic ideals of appearance and body size and shape. Clinicians and parents have been sounding the alarms about this for years. So to hear that Instagram’s own research shows this too is not surprising. What astounds me, though, is what whistleblower Frances Haugen exposed: that, in internal conversations at Instagram, staff and senior leadership acknowledged these very damning findings, and yet the actions they’ve taken in response have been little more than window dressing, sidestepping the fundamental problem of the platform’s predatory algorithms. This revelation is what leaves me aghast.

Q: In a recent  blog post , Instagram’s head of public policy wrote that the company knows that social media “can be a place where people have negative experiences” and that they’re working to mitigate the problem, but added, “Issues like negative social comparison and anxiety exist in the world, so they’re going to exist on social media too.” What do you make of this argument?

A: Instagram is peddling a false narrative that the platform is simply a reflection of its users’ interests and experiences, without distortion or manipulation by the platform. But Instagram knows full well that this not true. In fact, their very business model is predicated on how much they can manipulate users’ behavior to boost engagement and extend time spent on the platform, which the platform then monetizes to sell to advertisers. Instagram is literally selling users’ attention. The company knows that strong negative emotions, which can be provoked by negative social comparison, keep users’ attention longer than other emotions—and Instagram’s algorithms are expressly designed to push teens toward toxic content so that they stay on the platform. For teens struggling with body image, anxiety, or other mental health issues, negative social comparison is a dangerous trap, intensifying their engagement with the platform while worsening their symptoms. But with Instagram’s nefarious business model, every additional minute of users’ attention—regardless of the mental health impact—translates into more profits.

Keep in mind that this is not about just about putting teens in a bad mood. Over time, with exposure to harmful content on social media, the negative impacts add up. And we now have more cause for worry than ever, with the pandemic worsening mental health stressors and social isolation for teens, pushing millions of youth to increase their social media use. We are witnessing dramatic increases in clinical level depression, anxiety, and suicidality , and eating disorders cases have doubled or even tripled at children’s hospitals across the country.

Q: What steps are necessary to lessen potential harm to teens from Instagram?

A: If we have learned anything from the recent Congressional hearings with the whistleblower, the Wall Street Journal investigative reporting, and other important research, it’s that Instagram and Facebook will not—and likely cannot—solve this very serious social problem on their own. The business model, which has proven itself to be exquisitely profitable, is self-reinforcing for investors and top management. The platform’s predatory algorithms have been aggressively guarded, keeping them from being scrutinized by the public, researchers, or government. In fact, U.S. federal regulation on social media hasn’t been meaningfully updated in decades, leaving protections for users and society woefully inadequate.

But with the new revelations, society’s opinion of the industry may have soured and there may be a new willingness to demand meaningful oversight and regulation. What’s encouraging is that on the heels of the recent Congressional hearings, there are already several pieces of legislation in the works to establish a new government system of algorithm auditors, who would have the expertise and authority to require social media algorithms to meet basic standards of safety and transparency for children and users of all ages on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Q: What advice do you have for parents, and for teens who use the platform?

A: Until we have meaningful government oversight in place, there is still a lot that teens and parents can do. Although it’s a real struggle for parents to keep their kids off social media, they can set limits on its use, for instance by requiring that everyone’s phones go into a basket at mealtimes and at bedtime. Parents can also block upsetting content and keep dialogue open about how different types of content can make a young person feel about themselves. Equally important, teens and parents can get involved in advocacy, with groups such as the Eating Disorders Coalition and others, to advance federal legislation to strengthen oversight of social media platforms. With all that we know today about the harmful effects of social media and its algorithms, combined with the powerful stories of teens, parents, and community advocates, we may finally have the opportunity to get meaningful federal regulation in place.

– Karen Feldscher

photo: iStock

An Evidence-based Perspective on Social Media Use Among Young People

Social media is fully ingrained in young people’s everyday lives, shaping how they connect, communicate, learn, and interact with the world. As social media has proliferated in young people’s lives, so have concerns about its role in the decline of youth mental health. Although concerns about the adverse effects of social media on young people are widespread, it is crucial to acknowledge the benefits it can offer as well.

The third installment of Hopelab’s National Survey, “ A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health, ” released in partnership with Common Sense Media, explores the nuances of the relationship between social media and youth mental health. Importantly, this survey was co-created with young people, who provided direction and input regarding survey content and worked with the study team to prioritize and interpret results. Teens and young adults — especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people — bring their own unique lived experiences to social media spaces and, as a result, have different experiences with the content and communities they find there.

Many conversations surrounding social media and young people focus solely on harm and characterize them as passive users. This research shows that young people’s relationship with social media is much more complex. Social media is an important source of connection, support, and affirmation for young people, but it also brings challenges that young people navigate to minimize harmful impacts. There is an opportunity to use and understand this data to create better solutions grounded in the realities of young people’s experiences and needs.

Young friends watching social media content on smartphones

Evidence of ways social media may differentially support youth well-being

Research indicates that social media has a dual nature for young people, with both positive and negative implications. There is also great diversity in the ways social media impacts young people. As stated in the American Psychological Association’s Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence, “Social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people…the effects of social media likely depend on what teens can do and see online, teens’ preexisting strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up.” Efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of social media must take into account the wide range of benefits it can offer young people and consider differential impacts across identities.

• Social Connection: Young people who are Black, LGBTQ+, or suffer from depressive symptoms are among those who ascribe even greater importance to the role of social media in helping connect with family and feel less alone. For example, relative to white and Latinx peers, Black young people more often point to the importance of social media for connecting with family (72% Black vs. 62% Latinx and 61% white). Notably, when compared with their white (53%) and Latinx (60%) peers, Black (77%) young people find social media more important for connecting with people who share similar concerns about their mental health or well-being. Further, LGBTQ+ young people (74% LGBTQ+ vs. 52% straight and cisgender) and those with moderate to severe depression symptoms (66% moderate to severe vs. 48% none) are significantly more likely than their peers to say social media is important for feeling less alone.
• Information Access: Young people who are Black (64%), Latinx (59%), or have moderate to severe depression symptoms (57%) are more likely to endorse the importance of social media for finding information or resources about mental health or well-being than their white peers (44%) and those without depressive symptoms (47%). Black and Latinx young people are also more likely to say that social media platforms are essential for learning about professional or academic opportunities compared to their white peers (80% Black vs. 63% Latinx vs. 53% white). 
• Identity Affirmation: Almost 9 in 10 (89%) LGBTQ+ young people at least sometimes come across comments celebrating LGBTQ+ identities on social media. Further, a little over half (52%) of LGBTQ+ young people indicate a preference for communicating over social media rather than in person, compared to less than 4 in 10 straight and cisgender young people (38%). In subsequent interviews and focus groups, LGBTQ+ young people said that in the current climate of increased restrictions and hate toward those who are trans and queer, online communication often felt safer and more supportive.

Evidence of ways social media may exacerbate harm among diverse subgroups of young people

Although social media is often an essential source of social connection, information, and affirmation for young people, particularly those who are LGBTQ+, BIPOC, or experiencing symptoms of depression, it also comes with potential harm to these same groups. The lack of transparency from technology companies has prevented a complete understanding of the magnitude of social media’s impact on young people’s mental health and well-being. In May 2023 , U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advised that companies needed to take “immediate action to protect kids now” because the effects of social media on kids and teens were so largely unknown.

• Social Comparison: Sixty-four percent of young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms indicate that when they use social media, they feel as if others’ lives are better than theirs, compared to 38% of those with no symptoms, and 60% see or hear things on social media that make them feel bad about the way they look, compared to 25% of those with no symptoms. Similar findings emerged for LGBTQ+ social media users compared to straight and cisgender peers related to feeling like other people’s lives are better than their own (60% vs. 47%, respectively) and exposure to content that makes them feel bad about their body or appearance (55% vs. 37%, respectively).
• Hateful and hurtful content : Latinx youth (56%) report more frequently encountering racist comments, as compared to their Black peers (47%). White (60%) and Latinx (59%) youth are also more likely than Black youth (53%) to encounter body-shaming comments. Three-fourths of LGBTQ+ youth, however, encounter both transphobic (75%) and homophobic comments (76%) on social media, versus only about half of non-LGBTQ+ youth (55% and 49%, respectively).
• Negative News: Compared to their white peers (41%), Black youth (53%) and Latinx youth (48%) more often indicate that they feel the emotional toll of negative news consumption. Looking at LGBTQ+ respondents, fully 6 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth report experiencing the emotional impact of negative news, compared to 43% of straight and cisgender young people. Those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms (62%) are also more likely than those with no symptoms (32%) to report that they see so much bad news that they feel stressed and anxious.

Evidence of ways young people take actions to balance risks and benefits

The social media debate isn’t a good vs. bad issue. It’s a complex system where both harm and benefit exist. While aspects of social media can exacerbate mental health issues for young people, our survey data suggests that they are aware of the harms and are not passive users. They possess agency and take actions to maximize benefits while minimizing harm by curating their feeds, managing time spent online, and avoiding harmful content. Understanding the nuances of how young people balance the risks with the benefits of social media is the key to creating a safer, more empowering digital environment for and with young people.

• Avoiding Negative Content: Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) LGBTQ+ youth who use social media say that, over the past year, they have tried to avoid content they do not like on these platforms, compared with just under three-fourths (74%) of their non-LGBTQ+ peers who use social media. Further, fully 9 in 10 young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms have tried to see less of what they do not like on social media compared to 67% of those with no symptoms.
• Curating Social Media Feeds: LGBTQ+ youth are also significantly more likely than straight and cisgender youth to have tried curating their feed (78% vs. 65%). In addition, 8 in 10 young people with moderate to severe (81%) depressive symptoms have taken actions to try to curate their social media feed, compared to just over half (55%) of those with no symptoms.
• Managing Time Concerns:   About three-fourths of Black (74%) and Latinx (73%) young people who use social media have taken a temporary break from an account due to concerns about spending too much time on it, compared to slightly over half of white youth (56%). Further, the majority of Black (56%) and Latinx (54%) youth chose to take a permanent break from an account in the past year for this reason, versus only about one in three white youth (32%). Young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms were also more likely to take a temporary (76%) or permanent (56%) break from a social media account due to time-related concerns compared to those with no symptoms (51% and 32%, respectively). 
• Managing Harassment and Negative Experiences : Black (42%) and Latinx (40%) young people are about twice as likely as white youth (21%) to have taken a permanent break from a social media account—and more than one and a half times more likely to have taken a temporary break (48%, 47%, and 30%, respectively)—due to harassment or other negative experiences online. Additionally, young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms are more than twice as likely to have taken a temporary (58%) and permanent break (44%) due to online harassment and other negative experiences than those with no symptoms (25% and 20%, respectively).

The actions young people are taking to balance the positives and negatives of social media speak volumes about their agency and decision-making abilities. However, it also underscores the need for platforms to address online safety and well-being issues. Our work creating opportunities for young people to thrive is far from over. We must use this research to guide our next steps, remembering that the experiences of young people – with diverse perspectives – inform the data. Progress will only be successful if we continue to center young people and partner with them to build solutions that meet their needs.

Read the complete 2024 National Survey here.

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Teens and social media use: What's the impact?

Social media is a term for internet sites and apps that you can use to share content you've created. Social media also lets you respond to content that others post. That can include pictures, text, reactions or comments on posts by others, and links to information.

Online sharing within social media sites helps many people stay in touch with friends or connect with new ones. And that may be more important for teenagers than other age groups. Friendships help teens feel supported and play a role in forming their identities. So, it's only natural to wonder how social media use might affect teens.

Social media is a big part of daily life for lots of teenagers.

How big? A 2022 survey of 13- to 17-year-olds offers a clue. Based on about 1,300 responses, the survey found that 35% of teens use at least one of five social media platforms more than several times a day. The five social media platforms are: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Social media doesn't affect all teens the same way. Use of social media is linked with healthy and unhealthy effects on mental health. These effects vary from one teenager to another. Social media effects on mental health depend on things such as:

• What a teen sees and does online.
• The amount of time spent online.
• Psychological factors, such as maturity level and any preexisting mental health conditions.
• Personal life circumstances, including cultural, social and economic factors.

Here are the general pros and cons of teen social media use, along with tips for parents.

Healthy social media

Social media lets teens create online identities, chat with others and build social networks. These networks can provide teens with support from other people who have hobbies or experiences in common. This type of support especially may help teens who:

• Lack social support offline or are lonely.
• Are going through a stressful time.
• Belong to groups that often get marginalized, such as racial minorities, the LGBTQ community and those who are differently abled.
• Have long-term medical conditions.

Sometimes, social media platforms help teens:

• Express themselves.
• Connect with other teens locally and across long distances.
• Learn how other teens cope with challenging life situations and mental health conditions.
• View or take part in moderated chat forums that encourage talking openly about topics such as mental health.
• Ask for help or seek healthcare for symptoms of mental health conditions.

These healthy effects of social media can help teens in general. They also may help teens who are prone to depression stay connected to others. And social media that's humorous or distracting may help a struggling teen cope with a challenging day.

Unhealthy social media

Social media use may have negative effects on some teens. It might:

• Distract from homework, exercise and family activities.
• Disrupt sleep.
• Lead to information that is biased or not correct.
• Become a means to spread rumors or share too much personal information.
• Lead some teens to form views about other people's lives or bodies that aren't realistic.
• Expose some teens to online predators, who might try to exploit or extort them.
• Expose some teens to cyberbullying, which can raise the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

What's more, certain content related to risk-taking, and negative posts or interactions on social media, have been linked with self-harm and rarely, death.

The risks of social media use are linked with various factors. One may be how much time teens spend on these platforms.

In a study focusing on 12- to 15-year-olds in the United States, spending three hours a day using social media was linked to a higher risk of mental health concerns. That study was based on data collected in 2013 and 2014 from more than 6,500 participants.

Another study looked at data on more than 12,000 teens in England between the ages of 13 to 16. The researchers found that using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens.

But not all research has found a link between time spent on social media and mental health risks in teens.

How teens use social media also might determine its impact. For instance, viewing certain types of content may raise some teens' mental health risks. This could include content that depicts:

• Illegal acts.
• Self-harm or harm to other people.
• Encouragement of habits tied to eating disorders, such as purging or restrictive eating.

These types of content may be even more risky for teens who already have a mental health condition. Being exposed to discrimination, hate or cyberbullying on social media also can raise the risk of anxiety or depression.

What teens share about themselves on social media also matters.

With the teenage brain, it's common to make a choice before thinking it through. So, teens might post something when they're angry or upset, and regret it later. That's known as stress posting.

Teens who post content also are at risk of sharing sexual photos or highly personal stories. This can lead to teens being bullied, harassed or even blackmailed.

Protecting your teen

You can take steps to help your teens use social media responsibly and limit some of the possible negative effects.

Use these tips:

Set rules and limits as needed. This helps prevent social media from getting in the way of activities, sleep, meals or homework.

For example, you could make a rule about not using social media until homework is done. Or you could set a daily time limit for social media use.

You also could choose to keep social media off-limits during certain times. These times might include during family meals and an hour before bed.

Set an example by following these rules yourself. And let your teen know what the consequences will be if your rules aren't followed.

• Manage any challenging behaviors. If your teen's social media use starts to challenge your rules or your sense of what's appropriate, talk with your teen about it. You also could connect with parents of your teen's friends or take a look at your teen's internet history.
• Turn on privacy settings. This can help keep your teen from sharing personal information or data that your teen didn't mean to share. Each of your teen's social media accounts likely has privacy setting that can be changed.

Monitor your teen's accounts. The American Psychological Association recommends you regularly review your child's social media use during the early teen years.

One way to monitor is to follow or "friend" your child's social accounts. As your teen gets older, you can choose to monitor your teen's social media less. Your teen's maturity level can help guide your decision.

Have regular talks with your teen about social media. These talks give you chances to ask how social media has been making your teen feel. Encourage your teen to let you know if something online worries or bothers your teen.

Regular talks offer you chances to give your child advice about social media too. For example, you can teach your teen to question whether content is accurate. You also can explain that social media is full of images about beauty and lifestyle that are not realistic.

• Be a role model for your teen. You might want to tell your child about your own social media habits. That can help you set a good example and keep your regular talks from being one-sided.

Explain what's not OK. Remind your teen that it's hurtful to gossip, spread rumors, bully or harm someone's reputation — online or otherwise.

Also remind your teen not to share personal information with strangers online. This includes people's addresses, telephone numbers, passwords, and bank or credit card numbers.

• Encourage face-to-face contact with friends. This is even more important for teens prone to social anxiety.

Talk to your child's healthcare professional if you think your teen has symptoms of anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns related to social media use. Also talk with your child's care professional if your teen has any of the following symptoms:

• Uses social media even when wanting to stop.
• Uses it so much that school, sleep, activities or relationships suffer.
• Often spends more time on social platforms than you intended.
• Lies in order to use social media.

Your teen might be referred to a mental healthcare professional who can help.

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• Hagan JF, et al., eds. Promoting the healthy and safe use of social media. In: Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents. 4th ed. https://publications.aap.org/pediatriccare. American Academy of Pediatrics; 2017. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Social media can help connect: Research-based tips from pediatricians for families. Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Health advisory on social media use in adolescence. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Social media and teens. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Social-Media-and-Teens-100.aspx. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Social media and youth mental health: The U.S. surgeon general's advisory. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Teens, social media and technology 2022. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Popat A, et al. Exploring adolescents' perspectives on social media and mental health and well-being — A qualitative literature review. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2023; doi:10.1177/13591045221092884.
• Valkenburg PM, et al. Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence. Current Opinion in Psychology. 2022; doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.017.
• Berger MN, et al. Social media use and health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2022; doi:10.2196/38449.
• Self-Harm. Pediatric Patient Education. https://publications.aap.org/patiented. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.
• Liu M, et al. Time spent on social media and risk of depression in adolescents: A dose-response meta-analysis. 2022; doi:10.3390/ijerph19095164.
• Coyne SM, et al. Does time spent using social media impact mental health? An eight year longitudinal study. Computers in Human Behavior. 2020; doi:10.1016/j.chb.2019.106160.
• Viner RM, et al. Roles of cyberbullying, sleep, and physical activity in mediating the effects of social media use on mental health and wellbeing among young people in England: A secondary analysis of longitudinal data. The Lancet. Child & Adolescent Health. 2019; doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30186-5.
• Riehm KE, et al. Associations between time spent using social media and internalizing and externalizing problems among US youth. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019; doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2325.
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• Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Oct. 31, 2023.
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Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health

It’s not an exaggeration to say that social media has impacted almost every aspect of modern life. It’s changed how companies do business and how humans connect. Despite its positive effects, the impact of social media on youth mental health is something for parents to be concerned about. 

Warnings from the American Psychological Association and United States Surgeon General , Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, provide evidence of the growing harm social media is causing to the mental health of young people. 

Avoiding social media altogether may not be a feasible or helpful approach, but balancing the pros and cons can be a delicate process. It may be helpful for parents to understand what exactly it is about social media that can positively and negatively impact their children. 

Positive Aspects of Social Media

Overuse of social media can lead to problems, but the potentially positive impact of social media on youth mental health can’t be overlooked. Social media allows youth to:

• Access information
• Become a source of support for other young people
• Connect with peers
• Build online communities 
• Explore personal expression and acceptance
• Reduce feelings of isolation
• Find motivation to take positive action

At its best, social media provides opportunities for teens and tweens to support important causes, develop or assist with fundraising for their schools and other good causes, and connect to others. 

Youth who feel isolated can find authentic friendships on social media. Some social media users report feeling less lonely and having higher self-esteem. 

Acknowledging Potential Negative Effects

Unfortunately, there is a negative counterpart for almost every positive aspect of social media. The Mayo Clinic reports some of the negative side effects of social media use on teens include:

• Receiving information that is incorrect or biased
• Being distracted from homework, family activities, and other healthy behaviors
• Experiencing exposure to unrealistic body images and lifestyles
• Experiencing exposure to online predators and cyberbullying
• Becoming involved in spreading rumors
• Sharing too much personal information about themselves or others

Young people don’t always realize that the images they see online are carefully curated. These perfect images can give youth unrealistic ideas about how most people live and can make them feel bad about their own lives. 

A lack of attention on their own social media posts can also be harmful to a child’s self-esteem. “Likes,” comments, and shares are a form of social validation. Posting a photo that doesn’t generate attention can be compared to singing in a competition and not receiving any applause at the end. 

The presence of digital aggression on social media is another valid concern. Researchers point to the lack of eye contact online as one reason for the growth of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying includes direct comments on social media, text messages, and posting photos or comments about another person in all types of digital spaces. Regarding cyberbullying, a 2020 study found that the impact of social media on youth mental health can lead to:

• Low self-esteem
• Substance use
• Suicidal ideation

Youth are especially vulnerable to cyberbullying. They have a higher risk of developing depression or anxiety due to cyberbullying than adults. 

Impact on Sleep and Physical Well-Being

Most electronic devices, including televisions, emit short-wavelength blue light that tricks the body into believing it is daytime. The more time you spend looking at a screen, the less melatonin (sleep-inducing hormone) your body produces. This interferes with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

According to the Sleep Foundation, two out of three teenagers get less than the recommended amount of sleep , and screen time may be at least partially responsible for their sleep deprivation. 

Sleep deprivation affects teens in many ways besides being sleepy. It can interfere with their ability to focus in school, increase the risk of depression, and make it more difficult to regulate their emotions. 

Social Media and Body Image Issues

Social media is filled with heavily airbrushed and altered images representing “ideal” body shapes and features. Many of the most famous social media influencers make their living by promoting unrealistic beauty standards.

Constantly viewing these so-called “perfect” images can lead to poor self-esteem and body shaming. When young people feel ashamed of their bodies, it increases their risk of depression, lowers confidence, and can lead to suicidal behaviors. 

Anxiety and Depression

FOMO — the fear of missing out — is a real phenomenon that can seriously impact a young person’s self-worth and self-esteem. FOMO is the feeling that others are having fun without you. Whether it is true or not, believing you have been excluded from the fun can lead to anxiety, depression, and feelings of emotional distress. 

Digital Detox and Healthy Online Habits

Taking a digital detox means taking a break from scrolling for a predetermined amount of time. A break may mean putting your phone away two hours before bedtime each night or staying off social media during the weekend.

Taking a digital detox can be a fun way for a family to reconnect. Agree to go for a family bike ride or play a board game instead of engaging in social media. Regular breaks may help promote more positive interactions and responsible content consumption when you do decide to go online. 

Parental and Educational Roles

When it comes to teaching responsible online habits, parental involvement is vital. It’s up to parents to set a good example in their use of social media and their efforts to communicate with their children. 

Educators can also get involved with counteracting the negative effects of social media through digital literacy programs . Digital educational programs can show students how to focus on the positive aspects of social media and protect themselves from negative influences. 

Social media is not going away anytime soon. Learning how to behave responsibly online and model good behavior for others is key.

Learning to Balance Social Media Use

People of every age could benefit from a better balance and mindful use of social media. Rachel’s Challenge offers resources to help students and educators find that balance. 

Book an event or consider supporting Rachel’s Challenge , educators and students by learning more about how you can counter the impact of social media on youth mental health. 

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Social-media influence on teen mental health goes beyond just cause and effect

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In her review of Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation ( Nature 628 , 29–30; 2024 ), Candice Odgers focuses on whether there is a causal relationship between social-media use and poor social outcomes among young people. However, this gives an incomplete view of Haidt’s argument, which puts social-media use in a wider context.

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Social Media Use Has Upsides and Downsides for Youth Mental Health

Social media continues to bring both benefits and costs for young people when it comes to supporting their mental health and well-being. Amid the ongoing focus on improving the mental health of young people, social media's growing influence remains a key concern for families, schools, and communities.

Our new report, " A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health, " released in partnership with Hopelab, explores the influence of social media experiences on mental well-being. Our findings show that young people's experiences with social media vary based on many factors, including an individual's lived experience, racial-ethnic identity, age, and sexual and gender identity. This is the third report in a series begun in 2018 that has been tracking the role of social media in how young people age 14–22 support their mental health and well-being. Uniquely, this study was co-created with young people themselves, who not only provided direction and input regarding survey content, but also worked with the study team to prioritize and interpret results through focus groups and individual interviews.

Young people bring their own unique lived experiences to social media spaces, and as a result, have different experiences with the content and communities they find there—and those experiences are a decidedly mixed bag as an LGBTQ+ youth, a young person of color, or a young person who has symptoms of depression.

Here are a few of the contrasting realities around social media that our study reveals:

Frequent social media use continues to be widespread, and it can be both supportive and challenging for young people.

Upside : Young people turn to these digital technologies for emotional support, connection, and to learn about ways to support their mental health and well-being. Many join communities that are challenging to find locally (especially for Black and LGBTQ+ youth). Others use social media to just decompress and have fun.

Downside : Young people also encounter enough potentially harmful content that they must actively take steps to manage their exposure to it, including taking temporary and permanent breaks from a social media account.

• 53% of young adults say they can't control their social media use or use it longer than intended, compared to 42% of teens. But 81% of young adults and 68% of teens say they enact strategies to avoid content they dislike.

Young people of color and LGBTQ+ youth have more to gain and lose on social media than their peers.

Upside : Black youth find social media incredibly important for connection, creativity, community, support, and professional resources—more so than White youth. For LGBTQ+ young people, it helps them combat feelings of loneliness and connects them with content that validates their identities.

Downside : For many LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color, the same spaces that provide affirmation and support can also expose them to harassment and potential harm.

• 74% of LGBTQ+ social media users say social media is important in helping them feel less alone. But 72% of LGBTQ+ young people feel that posting content to public accounts would open themselves to harassment.

While depression levels have improved since the peak of the pandemic, they're still too high among young people. Social media has an especially heightened impact on youth with depressive symptoms—in good and bad ways.

Upside : Young people with depressive symptoms more often report that social media helps them cheer up, feel less alone, or find support and advice.

Downside : Youth who report depressive symptoms more often say they have a host of concerns connected to social media, including worries about self-presentation and harassment.

• 78% of young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms say that social media is important for cheering them up. But 64% of those with moderate to severe symptoms indicate that when they use social media, they feel as if others' lives are better than theirs, compared to 38% of those with no symptoms.

Young people need more support and industry action to make social media a safe space.

Our study shows that teens and young adults are taking steps to limit and manage negative exposure to social media, but they shouldn't have to do this alone. Everyone in communities, schools, families, and tech spaces can do their part to ensure that social media is a safe, supportive, and healthy place for young people.

We need more research and public understanding of the specific challenges that groups like youth with depressive symptoms, youth of color, and LGBTQ+ young people face with social media. We also need more public education for families, schools, teens, and beyond on how to manage the challenges that social media presents, without diminishing the benefits.

We also need action from companies and policymakers. Social media companies must change their design features and algorithms and put more guardrails in and around their products to limit harm and make it easier for young people to manage their use effectively. If companies are hesitant or refuse to make these changes on their own, then it is imperative that policymakers step up and enact evidence-based state and federal legislation informed by the experiences of young people.

Amy Green, PhD , head of research at Hopelab, is a co-author of this article.

Additional authors on "A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health" include Mary Madden, Angela Calvin, and Alexa Hasse.

Amanda Lenhart leads research efforts at Common Sense Media. She has spent her career studying how technology affects human lives, with a special focus on families and children. Most recently, as the program director for Health and Data at Data & Society Research Institute, Amanda investigated how social media platforms design for the digital well-being of youth. She began her career at the Pew Research Center, pioneering the Center’s work studying how teens and families use social and mobile technologies.

Positive & Negative Effects of Social Media on Teens Essay

Introduction, positive effects of social media, negative effects of social media.

In the twenty-first century, many teenagers spend their free time on social networks, which are an integral part of human life today. Scientists are still arguing about the harm and benefits of social media on teenagers. The environment of modern man, in which socialization takes place, has changed significantly. Nowadays, the younger generation spends more time on social networks. For teenagers, the social network has become a tool for self-expression. Communication is no longer limited to a certain circle of people with whom the teenager contacts physically. Therefore, the topic raises a serious problem: the socialization of a teenager under the influence of the Internet environment. This paper reveals the positive and negative aspects of the influence of social networks on the younger generation.

Self-Development

Social networks have everything a teenager needs for self-development. Many groups are directly related to studying. In order not to miss new publications, it is enough to enable notifications. The variety of groups in social networks is so great that every teenager will be able to find something for themselves, ranging from culinary recipes to international politics.

There is also a large database of videos and music files on social networks, among which one can find rare or necessary book copies. On the web, teenagers can get information that is significant for education. For example, Facebook is the largest repository of audio, video, and photo materials on many academic subjects that can be listened to, viewed, and downloaded (Nisar et al., 2019). In addition, a social network is a quick transfer or dissemination of information about the school, class, events, and student news.

The network provides an excellent opportunity to promote oneself as a person. Teenagers can try to start their own business or engage in blogging. They can also write books or stories on social networks, try to earn money, or realize their strengths in SMM (Pouwels et al., 2021). Social networks attract with their ability to express themselves, to acquaint everyone with their talents, hobbies, and achievements. Some post the results of their creativity – poems, songs, music, and videos.

Finding Friends

Communication has been simplified to the maximum level; nowadays, the huge distance between people is no longer a hindrance to their communication. It is enough to have a computer or laptop connected to the Internet, and special software that makes it possible to communicate, hear and see each other. Therefore, due to social networks, teenagers can stay in touch with friends who live at a great distance. There is a video call function that only requires the Internet. Teenagers can chat with friends without spending money on the balance.

In social networks, one can easily find people: when registering on a social network, the user provides their first and last name, as well as other data – age, educational institutions, contact phone numbers. This allows teenagers to find any person in a matter of seconds, provided that they have provided reliable information about themselves. However, social networks help not only to be aware of the lives of friends, acquaintances, and classmates. Teenagers can also look for like-minded people online (Nisar et al., 2019). There are many important groups where people can share their accumulated experience or their views on life. The network makes it possible to find friends, familiar classmates, and insecure teenagers to feel in demand (Pouwels et al., 2021). It makes new acquaintances without fear that there may be nothing to talk about with this person in the future. By joining interest groups, a teenager is not afraid that they might be rejected.

The ability to find friends is also associated with psychological comfort. Teenagers can say much more online than in real life, and not feel uncomfortable at the same time: they have time to formulate thoughts more clearly and express them most accurately (Pouwels et al., 2021). The Internet has the opportunity to follow the life of idols, to know what they are doing and what new things have happened to them. Friends can also watch the user, so one does not need to tell everyone about an important event, it is enough to share it on social networks. Thus, teenagers have the opportunity to realize themselves in the eyes of friends and acquaintances.

Physical & Mental Health

The properties of social networks have a negative impact when a teenager uses them non-stop. The flow of news, the change of emotions, impressions, and the solution of multi-level tasks lead to fatigue and harm to health. The radiation of the monitor has a detrimental effect on the retina of the eyes (Byrne et al., 2018). Many teenagers do not understand that most of the visitors of social networks embellish their reality. Perceiving the virtual image as reality, an inferiority complex is created. This perception affects self-esteem and harms the psyche. As a result, the body gets stressed, and the teenager is at risk of depression.

A constant presence in social networks develops the habit of receiving information in portions of the brain. Several processes are going on at the same time: listening to music, viewing photos, writing comments, and reading news. As a result, there is a decrease in the concentration of attention, and the teenager’s body is harmed (Charoensukmongkol, 2018). The term hyperactivity, well-known in psychology, accurately defines the state of a teenager. They cannot concentrate on one task, useful material is not assimilated, and the effectiveness of education decreases.

Social networks have a significant impact on the psyche of a teenager. A person needs constant recognition as a person for harmonious development. Before the advent of social networks, people had to constantly work on themselves to prove their worth. With the appearance of social media, everything has become simpler: it is enough to post a photo or video and one can collect likes. Having received approval on social networks, the user experiences a kind of euphoria (Byrne et al., 2018). Gradually, the teenager develops an addiction: the first thing their morning starts with is viewing their account. If there is free time during the day, they also constantly visit their page, spending too much time online.

Communication

Teenagers want to use easy ways to have fun, interaction in social networks is reduced to affixing likes, and correspondence is saturated with emoticons and abbreviations. For example, a story about one’s mood shortens to sending a smiley face. This way of communication becomes a habit, becomes the norm, and is used in everyday life. It is difficult for active visitors of social networks to rebuild their relationships into generally accepted forms (Szabla & Blommaert, 2020). This becomes an obstacle to a full-fledged dialogue, since people who are far from computer slang hardly understand such a narrative.

The presentation of information on the Internet occurs in such a way that, having the intention to view the weather forecast, the user is forced to close pop-up windows with advertisements, news blocks, or links to various sites. Many teenagers cannot cope with this task: all this attracts their attention and distracts them from the search (Charoensukmongkol, 2018). A teenager receives a stream of unnecessary information. If they do not control this process and do not block the excess, the brain is overloaded, fatigue accumulates, irritation and the body is harmed.

By texting, people lose the skills of real communication; in social networks, words and feelings that are transmitted through personal contact lose their meaning. It becomes easy to hide experiences or fake emotions (Szabla & Blommaert, 2020). A teenager addicted to social networks misjudges people and does not feel responsible. They become capable of insulting an opponent and causing harm without experiencing any remorse or empathy.

With the development of Internet technologies, the world has changed a lot, and it also changed the way of thinking of young people. Undoubtedly, it is possible to highlight numerous advantages of social networks. These are freely available groups where teenagers can find like-minded people, keep up to date with the latest developments, find a new hobby, develop their skills in some endeavor or relax by browsing interesting communities. However, social networks not only have a positive impact on a teenager but can also cause harm. It is associated with the distortion of reality in social networks, information overload, and a change like live communication. It is impossible to eliminate the negative impact of the use of social networks, however, by maintaining a balance, they can be minimized.

Byrne, E., Vessey, J. A., & Pfeifer, L. (2018). Cyberbullying and social media: Information and interventions for school nurses working with victims, students, and families. The Journal of School Nursing, 34 (1), 28-39.

Charoensukmongkol, P. (2018). The impact of social media on social comparison and envy in teenagers: The moderating role of the parent comparing children and in-group competition among friends. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27 (3), 69-79.

Nisar, T. M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2019). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research, 94 (7), 264-272.

Pouwels, J. L., Valkenburg, P. M., Beyens, I., Driel, I. I., & Keijsers, L. (2021). Some socially poor but also some socially rich adolescents feel closer to their friends after using social media. Scientific Reports, 11 (1), 9-13.

Szabla, M., & Blommaert, J. (2020). Does context really collapse in social media interaction? Applied Linguistics Review, 11 (2), 251-279.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Social Media — Negative Effect of Social Media on Young People

Negative Effect of Social Media on Young People

• Categories: Effects of Social Media Social Media Society

About this sample

Words: 601 |

Published: Apr 11, 2019

Words: 601 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Hook Examples for Argumentative Essay about Social Media

• The Social Media Paradox: In today’s hyperconnected world, social media both unites and divides us. This essay explores the complex interplay between digital connection and disconnection, shedding light on the paradoxes that define our online lives.
• Scrolling Towards Solitude: Social media promises a world of friends at our fingertips, but does it also lead us down a lonely path? Join us as we unravel the impact of digital scrolling on our mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.
• The Democracy of Information: With social media’s power to amplify voices and spark movements, it’s been hailed as a tool for democratizing information. In this essay, we’ll weigh the scales and examine the extent to which social media fosters or hinders free speech and activism.
• The Filter Bubble Effect: Social media algorithms curate our online experiences, showing us content that aligns with our existing beliefs. Explore the consequences of living in a filter bubble and the implications for the diversity of ideas in our digital age.
• The Privacy Predicament: In the age of oversharing, our personal data has become a valuable commodity. Join us as we dive into the contentious world of social media privacy, examining the trade-offs between connectivity and personal information security.

Works Cited

• Kowalski, R. M., Giumetti, G. W., Schroeder, A. N., & Lattanner, M. R. (2014). Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1073-1137.
• Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: the impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. Body image, 13, 38-45.
• Bessi, A., Coletto, M., Davidescu, G. A., Scala, A., Caldarelli, G., & Quattrociocchi, W. (2015). Science vs conspiracy: collective narratives in the age of misinformation. PloS one, 10(2), e0118093.
• Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657.
• Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013). Social media update 2013. Pew Research Center, 14.
• O’Keeffe, G. S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804.
• National Institutes of Health. (2019). Social media use and children’s mental health. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-media-and-childrens-mental-health/index.shtml
• Livingstone, S., & Haddon, L. (2009). EU Kids Online: Final report. London: EU Kids Online.
• Ross, W., & Rivers, I. (2019). The impacts of social media on LGBT young people’s mental health and well-being: A review of the literature. The Journal of LGBT Youth, 16(4), 289-307.
• Ruder, T. D., Hatch, Q. M., & Ampanozi, G. (2017). YouTube as a source of information on global pandemics: a content analysis. Health Informatics Journal, 23(3), 161-171.

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Essay on Impact of Social Media on Teenager

Students are often asked to write an essay on Impact of Social Media on Teenager in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Impact of Social Media on Teenager

Introduction.

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, especially for teenagers. It provides a platform to connect, share, and learn.

Positive Impact

Social media can be beneficial. It helps teenagers to express themselves and connect with friends. It’s also a source of information.

Negative Impact

However, excessive use can lead to issues like cyberbullying, anxiety, and depression. It can also impact their physical health and academic performance.

In conclusion, while social media has its advantages, it’s essential for teenagers to use it responsibly.

250 Words Essay on Impact of Social Media on Teenager

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, particularly for teenagers. It’s a platform that offers a myriad of opportunities for communication, entertainment, and learning. However, it also presents challenges and potential harms.

Firstly, social media offers a platform for self-expression and identity formation, critical aspects of adolescent development. Teenagers can explore various facets of their personalities, interests, and values. Moreover, it provides an avenue for social interaction and friendship formation, connecting teenagers globally.

On the flip side, the pervasive nature of social media can lead to addictive behaviors, impacting teenagers’ mental health. The constant need for validation through likes and comments can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem. Furthermore, cyberbullying is a significant concern, with its effects often devastating, leading to depression or even suicidal thoughts.

Role of Digital Literacy

To mitigate the negative impacts, it’s crucial to foster digital literacy among teenagers. They need to be educated about responsible social media use, privacy settings, and how to handle cyberbullying.

In conclusion, while social media offers significant benefits to teenagers, it also poses considerable risks. It’s a double-edged sword that can either enhance or hinder adolescent development. Therefore, it’s crucial to provide teenagers with the necessary tools and education to navigate this digital landscape safely and responsibly.

500 Words Essay on Impact of Social Media on Teenager

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, shaping our interactions, relationships, and the way we perceive the world. However, its impact on teenagers, who are at a critical stage of their development, is a topic of intense debate and concern.

The Positive Impact

On the one hand, social media can be a powerful educational tool for teenagers. It provides a platform where they can access a wealth of knowledge and information, enhancing their learning experience. It also fosters creativity and self-expression, allowing teenagers to share their thoughts, ideas, and talents with a global audience.

Moreover, social media helps teenagers build connections and socialize, especially those who may be introverted or socially anxious. It offers a space where they can engage in discussions, participate in online communities, and build friendships beyond geographical boundaries.

The Negative Impact

Conversely, the pervasive use of social media also has potential downsides. Cyberbullying is a significant issue, with teenagers being particularly vulnerable to online harassment and abuse. This can lead to serious emotional and psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Additionally, the pressure to maintain an idealized online persona can be detrimental to teenagers’ mental health. The constant comparison with others’ seemingly perfect lives can lead to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, excessive use of social media can negatively affect teenagers’ physical health. It can lead to sedentary behaviors, sleep disturbances, and even addictive tendencies, disrupting their overall wellbeing and development.

Given these impacts, it is crucial to promote digital literacy among teenagers. They need to be educated about the potential risks and benefits of social media, and how to use it responsibly. This includes understanding privacy settings, recognizing and reporting inappropriate content or behavior, and being mindful of the amount of time spent online.

In conclusion, while social media can be a beneficial tool for teenagers, it also presents significant challenges. It is imperative that parents, educators, and policymakers work together to ensure a safe and positive online environment for teenagers, fostering their growth and development in the digital age. The key lies in balance and mindful usage, allowing teenagers to harness the potential of social media while mitigating its risks.

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How teens view social media’s impact on their mental health

Editor’s note:  If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the  988 Lifeline website .

A new report details the role social media plays in the lives of young people, and how they manage the various pros and cons — including in the context of being a person of color or LGBTQ+, or having depression.

Those benefits and drawbacks include valuing online platforms for social connection , self-expression and information, while also feeling the brunt of social media’s effects on their attention span, confidence and contentedness, according to the report released Tuesday by Common Sense Media and Hopelab, a social innovation lab and impact investor aiming to support the well-being of young people.

READ MORE: How to know if you have ‘phone addiction’ — and 12 ways to address it

“Most conversations and headlines surrounding social media and youth mental (health) focus solely on the harms, portraying young people as passive consumers. This research shows that it’s much more complex,” said Amy Green, head of research at Hopelab, in a news release. “If we truly want to improve the well-being of young people, we need to listen to their experiences and ensure that we do not inadvertently remove access to crucial positive benefits.”

Also driving the research is the national youth mental health crisis, the authors said, marked by increasing rates of mental disorders , such as anxiety and depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts , and antidepressant medications prescribed to youth. In conversations about these phenomena, social media has consistently been at the center, though mental health issues can have multiple contributing factors. 

Conducted by the NORC — previously called the National Opinion Research Center — at the University of Chicago, the research includes 1,274 teens (ages 14 to 17) and young adults (ages 18 to 22) recruited online between October and November 2023. The young people “provided direction and input regarding survey content” and participated in focus groups and interviews to help the research team prioritize and interpret results, according to a news release. The report is the third in a series tracking the influence of social media on well-being among youth.    

The researchers found the rate of depressive symptoms among youth is about 10% down from pandemic highs but is still high and comparable to the elevated levels of 2018. Nearly half of young people reported experiencing any severity of depression, and nearly a third (28%) said they had moderate to severe symptoms.

Additionally, about half of LGBTQ+ youth reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression, compared to nearly one-quarter of their non-LGBTQ+ peers.

Those with depression were more susceptible to social comparison and pressure to show their best selves on social media. But they were also more likely to find resources to support their well-being and curate their feeds for this purpose — done by selecting a “not interested” button on content they don’t like, flagging inappropriate or offensive content, or blocking someone whose content bothered them. These youth also positively curated feeds by “liking” and spending more time on content they did enjoy, since many social media algorithms work by giving you more content based on your level of engagement with certain topics.

This was especially important for LGBTQ+ youth who, along with Black and Latinx young people, faced more exposure to harassment and stress online.

“In focus groups, Black youth told us their experiences with in-person harassment lowered their tolerance for similar behavior on social media, and meant they were more willing to give up the benefits to protect themselves from hateful comments,” said lead researcher Amanda Lenhart, head of research at Common Sense Media, via email.

The findings confirm what many researchers have seen scientifically and anecdotally, said Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association, via email. Prinstein wasn’t involved in the study.

Social media and mental health

Many participants also revealed the positives they gain from social media, citing online platforms as a place to seek support and advice; decompress; connect with loved ones and others who share their experiences, interests or identities; stay informed; and keep up with their favorite influencers or content creators.

“Another important finding is the importance of social media as a space of connection, creativity and professional opportunities for Black youth,” Lenhart said.

Dr. Douglas Gentile, distinguished professor of psychology at Iowa State University, encouraged being “careful about interpreting (self-reported) data like these,” he said via email.

“People are surprisingly bad at actually knowing what the effects of media use are on themselves,” Gentile, who wasn’t involved in the research, added. “I don’t mean to say that anyone is lying. Just that we only see little pieces of how the media influence us.”

Nearly one-fourth of participants reported using social media almost constantly throughout the day, up 7% from the rate the authors found in their 2018 report, the authors found. Many young people reported an inability to control their use, social media distracting from other activities and unconsciously reaching for social media when bored. To counteract these behaviors, on top of customizing their feeds, many have also taken breaks from social media to avoid the temptation or deleted their accounts permanently.

“Social media could offer (more) benefits to youth if it was designed with a primary focus on youth well-being rather than a focus on keeping kids engaged for as long as possible to make a profit from their data,” Prinstein said.

While, or after, using social media, try doing an emotional check-in, Lenhart said. “Ask yourself, ‘How am I feeling right now? Did I see anything that made me feel sad?’”

Taking a temporary or permanent break from the content causing the most distress could be helpful, Lenhart added, especially if you already struggle with depression.

If you’re a parent or guardian wondering how to best manage your teen’s social media use, one of the most important things you can do is “keep communication channels open,” Lenhart said.

Parental involvement is important, as young adults have expressed regret that their parents allowed them to use social media so young, wishing they could go back and tell their parents to not give in to their demands, Prinstein said.

Ask the teens in your life what they like about these platforms and what types of connections or activities support their mental health, Lenhart said. Let them know you’re there to help figure out a solution if social media is upsetting them or interfering with other responsibilities.

Respect “that each young person is an expert in their own lived experience,” Lenhart said. “Young people are valuable teachers in their own right.”

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

Your child’s brain is developing rapidly, making them more susceptible to the harms of social media. And though they might put on a brave face, they could be hurting underneath. It’s time to unmask the harms of social media.

Up to 95% of youth ages 13–17 report using a social media platform opens in a new tab , with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.”

There is growing concern for children and teens using social media. Social media can be incredibly harmful for youth. Kids need less screen time for healthy growth and development. We can work together to establish social media boundaries, model healthy social media use, and teach children how to use it safely.

The harms of social media

Teens who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes.

Nearly half of teens ages 13 to 17 said using social media makes them feel worse .

Almost 60% of teenage girls say they’ve been contacted by a stranger on social media platforms in ways that make them feel uncomfortable.

According to a survey of 8th and 10th graders, the average time spent on social media is 3.5 hours per day and almost 15% (1 in 7) spends 7+ hours per day on social media .

More than 60% of teens are regularly exposed to hate-based content .

Excessive social media use has been linked to sleep problems, attention problems, and feelings of exclusion among teenagers.

In a review of 36 studies, a consistent relationship was found between cyberbullying on social media and depression among children of all ages.

In a national survey of girls ages 11 to 15, one-third or more say they feel “addicted” to a social media platform .

More than half of teens report that it would be hard to give up social media .

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What do Utah parents think about social media?

It can be scary and intimidating raising kids in a world filled with technology—predators, inappropriate content, bullying, and a distorted reality are just some of the concerns you might have. But you’re not alone! We asked Utah parents what they thought about social media, its effects on their children, and what they’re doing to help protect their kids.

• 88% believe social media has a detrimental impact on children and youth.
• 63% were concerned about social media impacting their child’s mental health.
• 60% were concerned about social media impacting their child’s body image.
• 94% enforce boundaries with their children’s social media usage, like enforcing time limits, content restrictions, and setting age limits.
• 84% encourage their children to unplug from social media and participate in other activities.

What can you do to protect your child?

Reconsider allowing your child to have social media and encourage them to wait to use it until they are an adult.

Governor Spencer J. Cox

• Create a family media plan. Agreed-upon expectations can help establish healthy technology boundaries at home – including social media use. A family media plan opens in a new tab can promote open family discussion and rules about media use and include topics such as balancing screen/online time, content boundaries, and not disclosing personal information.
• Create tech-free zones and encourage children to foster in-person relationships. Electronics can be a distraction after bedtime and can interfere with sleep. Consider restricting the use of phones, tablets, and computers for at least 1 hour before bedtime and through the night. Keep family mealtimes and in-person gatherings device-free to build social bonds and engage in a two-way conversation. Help your child develop social skills and nurture his or her in-person relationships by encouraging unstructured and offline connections with others and making unplugged interactions a daily priority. Learn more from the American Academy of Pediatrics opens in a new tab .
• Model responsible social media behavior. Children often learn behaviors and habits from what they see around them. Parents can set a good example of what responsible and healthy social media use looks like by limiting their own use and being mindful of social media habits.
• Teach kids about technology and empower them to be responsible online participants at the appropriate age. Discuss with children the risks of social media as well as the importance of respecting privacy and protecting personal information in age-appropriate ways. Have conversations with children about who they are connecting with, their privacy settings, their online experiences, and how they are spending their time online. Encourage them to seek help should they need it. Learn more from the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health opens in a new tab and American Psychological Association Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence opens in a new tab .
• Report cyberbullying and online abuse and exploitation. Talk to your child about cyberbullying and what to do if they are being harassed through email, text message, online games, or social media. Make sure they understand the dangers of being contacted by an adult online, especially if they are being asked to share private images or perform intimate or sexual acts.
• Work with other parents to help establish shared norms and practices and to support programs and policies around healthy social media use. Despite what your kids may say, you’re not the only parent who won’t let their children have social media or who sets family rules about phones and technology.

In 2023, the Utah State Legislature passed Senate Bill 152 opens in a new tab   and opens in a new tab House Bill 311 , enacting the Utah Social Media Regulation Acts. Learn more about the laws here opens in a new tab .

Research & resources

• Gabb:  What is Sextortion? Everything You Need to Know  
• Gabb Study: When Teens Take a Break from Social Media opens in a new tab
• The Common Sense Census:  Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021 opens in a new tab
• U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: opens in a new tab Social Media and Youth Mental Health
• The Atlantic:  All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed
• American Academy of Pediatrics: National Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health opens in a new tab
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Media and Young Minds opens in a new tab
• American Psychological Association: Health advisory on social media use in adolescence opens in a new tab
• University of Utah Health: The impact of social media on teens’ mental health opens in a new tab and Tips for healthy social media use: Parents and teens opens in a new tab
• PBS Utah: Social media and youth mental health opens in a new tab
• Teen Mental Health Is Plummeting, and Social Media is a Major Contributing Cause opens in a new tab
• Social media and mental health opens in a new tab
• U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation opens in a new tab
• Haidt, J., & Twenge, J. (ongoing). Adolescent mood disorders since 2010: A collaborative review. opens in a new tab Unpublished manuscript, New York University.

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Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

Fazida karim.

1 Psychology, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology, Fairfield, USA

2 Business & Management, University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, MYS

Azeezat A Oyewande

3 Family Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology, Fairfield, USA

4 Family Medicine, Lagos State Health Service Commission/Alimosho General Hospital, Lagos, NGA

Lamis F Abdalla

5 Internal Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology, Fairfield, USA

Reem Chaudhry Ehsanullah

Safeera khan.

Social media are responsible for aggravating mental health problems. This systematic study summarizes the effects of social network usage on mental health. Fifty papers were shortlisted from google scholar databases, and after the application of various inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 papers were chosen and all papers were evaluated for quality. Eight papers were cross-sectional studies, three were longitudinal studies, two were qualitative studies, and others were systematic reviews. Findings were classified into two outcomes of mental health: anxiety and depression. Social media activity such as time spent to have a positive effect on the mental health domain. However, due to the cross-sectional design and methodological limitations of sampling, there are considerable differences. The structure of social media influences on mental health needs to be further analyzed through qualitative research and vertical cohort studies.

Introduction and background

Human beings are social creatures that require the companionship of others to make progress in life. Thus, being socially connected with other people can relieve stress, anxiety, and sadness, but lack of social connection can pose serious risks to mental health [ 1 ].

Social media

Social media has recently become part of people's daily activities; many of them spend hours each day on Messenger, Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media. Thus, many researchers and scholars study the impact of social media and applications on various aspects of people’s lives [ 2 ]. Moreover, the number of social media users worldwide in 2019 is 3.484 billion, up 9% year-on-year [ 3 - 5 ]. A statistic in Figure  1  shows the gender distribution of social media audiences worldwide as of January 2020, sorted by platform. It was found that only 38% of Twitter users were male but 61% were using Snapchat. In contrast, females were more likely to use LinkedIn and Facebook. There is no denying that social media has now become an important part of many people's lives. Social media has many positive and enjoyable benefits, but it can also lead to mental health problems. Previous research found that age did not have an effect but gender did; females were much more likely to experience mental health than males [ 6 , 7 ].

Impact on mental health

Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which people understand their abilities, solve everyday life problems, work well, and make a significant contribution to the lives of their communities [ 8 ]. There is debated presently going on regarding the benefits and negative impacts of social media on mental health [ 9 , 10 ]. Social networking is a crucial element in protecting our mental health. Both the quantity and quality of social relationships affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk [ 9 ]. The Displaced Behavior Theory may help explain why social media shows a connection with mental health. According to the theory, people who spend more time in sedentary behaviors such as social media use have less time for face-to-face social interaction, both of which have been proven to be protective against mental disorders [ 11 , 12 ]. On the other hand, social theories found how social media use affects mental health by influencing how people view, maintain, and interact with their social network [ 13 ]. A number of studies have been conducted on the impacts of social media, and it has been indicated that the prolonged use of social media platforms such as Facebook may be related to negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress [ 10 - 15 ]. Furthermore, social media can create a lot of pressure to create the stereotype that others want to see and also being as popular as others.

The need for a systematic review

Systematic studies can quantitatively and qualitatively identify, aggregate, and evaluate all accessible data to generate a warm and accurate response to the research questions involved [ 4 ]. In addition, many existing systematic studies related to mental health studies have been conducted worldwide. However, only a limited number of studies are integrated with social media and conducted in the context of social science because the available literature heavily focused on medical science [ 6 ]. Because social media is a relatively new phenomenon, the potential links between their use and mental health have not been widely investigated.

This paper attempt to systematically review all the relevant literature with the aim of filling the gap by examining social media impact on mental health, which is sedentary behavior, which, if in excess, raises the risk of health problems [ 7 , 9 , 12 ]. This study is important because it provides information on the extent of the focus of peer review literature, which can assist the researchers in delivering a prospect with the aim of understanding the future attention related to climate change strategies that require scholarly attention. This study is very useful because it provides information on the extent to which peer review literature can assist researchers in presenting prospects with a view to understanding future concerns related to mental health strategies that require scientific attention. The development of the current systematic review is based on the main research question: how does social media affect mental health?

Research strategy

The research was conducted to identify studies analyzing the role of social media on mental health. Google Scholar was used as our main database to find the relevant articles. Keywords that were used for the search were: (1) “social media”, (2) “mental health”, (3) “social media” AND “mental health”, (4) “social networking” AND “mental health”, and (5) “social networking” OR “social media” AND “mental health” (Table  1 ).

Out of the results in Table  1 , a total of 50 articles relevant to the research question were selected. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, duplicate papers were removed, and, finally, a total of 28 articles were selected for review (Figure  2 ).

PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Peer-reviewed, full-text research papers from the past five years were included in the review. All selected articles were in English language and any non-peer-reviewed and duplicate papers were excluded from finally selected articles.

Of the 16 selected research papers, there were a research focus on adults, gender, and preadolescents [ 10 - 19 ]. In the design, there were qualitative and quantitative studies [ 15 , 16 ]. There were three systematic reviews and one thematic analysis that explored the better or worse of using social media among adolescents [ 20 - 23 ]. In addition, eight were cross-sectional studies and only three were longitudinal studies [ 24 - 29 ].The meta-analyses included studies published beyond the last five years in this population. Table  2  presents a selection of studies from the review.

IGU, internet gaming disorder; PSMU, problematic social media use

This study has attempted to systematically analyze the existing literature on the effect of social media use on mental health. Although the results of the study were not completely consistent, this review found a general association between social media use and mental health issues. Although there is positive evidence for a link between social media and mental health, the opposite has been reported.

For example, a previous study found no relationship between the amount of time spent on social media and depression or between social media-related activities, such as the number of online friends and the number of “selfies”, and depression [ 29 ]. Similarly, Neira and Barber found that while higher investment in social media (e.g. active social media use) predicted adolescents’ depressive symptoms, no relationship was found between the frequency of social media use and depressed mood [ 28 ].

In the 16 studies, anxiety and depression were the most commonly measured outcome. The prominent risk factors for anxiety and depression emerging from this study comprised time spent, activity, and addiction to social media. In today's world, anxiety is one of the basic mental health problems. People liked and commented on their uploaded photos and videos. In today's age, everyone is immune to the social media context. Some teens experience anxiety from social media related to fear of loss, which causes teens to try to respond and check all their friends' messages and messages on a regular basis.

On the contrary, depression is one of the unintended significances of unnecessary use of social media. In detail, depression is limited not only to Facebooks but also to other social networking sites, which causes psychological problems. A new study found that individuals who are involved in social media, games, texts, mobile phones, etc. are more likely to experience depression.

The previous study found a 70% increase in self-reported depressive symptoms among the group using social media. The other social media influence that causes depression is sexual fun [ 12 ]. The intimacy fun happens when social media promotes putting on a facade that highlights the fun and excitement but does not tell us much about where we are struggling in our daily lives at a deeper level [ 28 ]. Another study revealed that depression and time spent on Facebook by adolescents are positively correlated [ 22 ]. More importantly, symptoms of major depression have been found among the individuals who spent most of their time in online activities and performing image management on social networking sites [ 14 ].

Another study assessed gender differences in associations between social media use and mental health. Females were found to be more addicted to social media as compared with males [ 26 ]. Passive activity in social media use such as reading posts is more strongly associated with depression than doing active use like making posts [ 23 ]. Other important findings of this review suggest that other factors such as interpersonal trust and family functioning may have a greater influence on the symptoms of depression than the frequency of social media use [ 28 , 29 ].

Limitation and suggestion

The limitations and suggestions were identified by the evidence involved in the study and review process. Previously, 7 of the 16 studies were cross-sectional and slightly failed to determine the causal relationship between the variables of interest. Given the evidence from cross-sectional studies, it is not possible to conclude that the use of social networks causes mental health problems. Only three longitudinal studies examined the causal relationship between social media and mental health, which is hard to examine if the mental health problem appeared more pronounced in those who use social media more compared with those who use it less or do not use at all [ 19 , 20 , 24 ]. Next, despite the fact that the proposed relationship between social media and mental health is complex, a few studies investigated mediating factors that may contribute or exacerbate this relationship. Further investigations are required to clarify the underlying factors that help examine why social media has a negative impact on some peoples’ mental health, whereas it has no or positive effect on others’ mental health.

Conclusions

Social media is a new study that is rapidly growing and gaining popularity. Thus, there are many unexplored and unexpected constructive answers associated with it. Lately, studies have found that using social media platforms can have a detrimental effect on the psychological health of its users. However, the extent to which the use of social media impacts the public is yet to be determined. This systematic review has found that social media envy can affect the level of anxiety and depression in individuals. In addition, other potential causes of anxiety and depression have been identified, which require further exploration.

The importance of such findings is to facilitate further research on social media and mental health. In addition, the information obtained from this study can be helpful not only to medical professionals but also to social science research. The findings of this study suggest that potential causal factors from social media can be considered when cooperating with patients who have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. Also, if the results from this study were used to explore more relationships with another construct, this could potentially enhance the findings to reduce anxiety and depression rates and prevent suicide rates from occurring.

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The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.