Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health

Source: Anna Shvets/ Pexels

Co-authored by Zoe Hart and Dr. Marina Heifetz

Social media has become increasingly more accessible, with the vast majority of North American teens using it daily. With social media companies marketing to teens, it is no wonder that we see a steady increase in youth social media usage alongside a decrease in the age at which most kids get their first device and have access to the internet.

It is important to acknowledge that social media can serve as a way to connect and engage with peers. At the same time, there are also some known risks associated with youths’ use of social media. Notably, brain development associated with our impulse control does not fully develop until about our mid-20s, and it is difficult for youth to self-limit screen time. As a result, they end up spending longer periods scrolling on social media (American Psychological Association, 2023a).

Caution around youth social media use

The U.S. Surgeon General (2023) released a health advisory last year that suggests children and teens who use social media for more than three hours a day are at significantly more risk of developing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Below are some ways mental health is impacted:

• Neurological and Developmental Factors: Excitement for connection amongst peers is associated with brain development that typically occurs between the ages of 10 and 12. This is also the average age that many youth access their first devices. The lack of fully formed impulse control makes it harder for youth to effectively self-regulate, spend appropriate amounts of time on social media, and create a healthy balance between online interactions and interactions between friends, family, and peers in day-to-day life.
• Peer Influence and Social Feedback: Factors such as “like” counts, comments, and push notifications on social media platforms can heavily influence youth. Feedback received on social media (whether positive or negative) can have tangible impacts on youth mental health, and lead to increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Self-Esteem and Body Image: Related to peer influence, interactions online can heavily contribute to one’s self-image. Having access to a variety of different profiles, people, and content online provides an opportunity for youth to constantly compare themselves to others, and this can have negative effects on self-esteem and body image. Anita Federici, a clinical psychologist and researcher, has spoken out about the strong correlation between increased social media use and the increase in body dissatisfaction and emotion dysregulation seen in young people. Numerous weight-related memes and comments on social media and increased pressure from the dieting industry are prevalent. Children and youth may not be able to manage and discriminate between what is toxic diet culture and what is appropriate and healthy in what they are seeing online.
• Inappropriate and Hateful Content: Extended social media use also poses the risk of exposure to content such as online discrimination, racism, homophobia, sexual content, and cyberbullying. Research demonstrates that exposure to this can increase symptoms of anxiety and depression in youth.

What families can do to support their youths’ safe social media use

The American Psychological Association (2023a) outlines a few different ways parents can mindfully connect with their youth about safe social media usage:

1. Monitor and discuss social media use with your child; answer questions honestly
2. Initiate age-appropriate and supportive conversations surrounding online content
3. Model healthy social media use for your child; help them recognize what is and what is not real online by teaching social media literacy
4. Watch out for problematic usage

Reducing social media use can also be helpful. Recent research by Smith and Mills (2024) suggests that even taking a week-long break can have a significant positive impact on youth mental health and self-esteem, especially for young women.

Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist and author of numerous youth development books (her latest book is The Emotional Lives of Teenagers), has spoken widely about the impact of social media on adolescents. While there are many positive components of social media, such as serving as a “lifeline for young people who struggle to make peer connections in their local community,” Lisa Damour has also emphasized the importance of educating youth about the algorithms that social media use to provide information of interest to them and delaying social media use until older adolescent years. We want to teach youth how to filter out what is appropriate and what is not appropriate content. This can be connected to family values to guide the youth in developing appropriate judgments.

An advisory by the American Psychological Association (2023b) reinforces that developmental growth among children, youth, and teens is gradual, constant, and not always linear. As such, it is important to keep online interactions developmentally appropriate. As parents, it is also vital to maintain open lines of communication and monitoring regarding social media use. The bottom line is that youth social media use, functionality, and permissions should be tailored to youths’ unique developmental capabilities to foster healthy and safe interactions, both in-person and online.