Mental Health And Social Media In Adolescence
Social media can result in a mixed blend of effects on teenagers. While some impacts on young adults can be positive, social media can also lead to a wide range of adverse effects on developing adolescent minds. For instance, social media usage among teenagers can lead to bullying, harassment, the development of various mental health conditions, sleep deprivation, social comparison, and more. If you’re not sure how to best support your teen as a parent, consider scheduling an online or in-person therapy session.
What is social media, and how popular is it among teenagers?
Social media can be defined as a form of communication and interaction among people who create, share, and exchange content and information through virtual platforms and communities. According to data from a 2023 Pew Research Center report, more people between the ages of 13 and 17 tend to use YouTube than any other social media platform.
- YouTube (95%)
- TikTok (67%)
- Instagram (62%)
- Snapchat (59%
- Facebook (32%)
- Twitter (23%)
- Twitch (20%)
- WhatsApp (17%)
- Reddit (14%)
- Tumblr (5%)
Studies show that most teens (75%) use social media apps like YouTube and TikTok daily, with nearly half saying they use it several times a day, and 20% or less saying they use social media constantly, depending on the platform. The same study shows that more than half of the teens using social media would likely have difficulty giving it up.
What are the effects of teen social media usage?
Young people can gain both benefits and drawbacks from social media use. Social media can affect adolescent development in many ways, from building or lowering self-esteem to reinforcing unhealthy habits or finding ways to express themselves.
Positive effects of social media on teens
The potential beneficial effects of social media engagement include the following:
- Connecting with family and friends from far away
- Finding information more easily
- Meeting other people with similar interests
- Accessing multimedia forms of entertainment
- Providing unique platforms for self-expression
- Extending one’s emotional support system
- Enabling users to learn new skills and discover or develop interests
Negative effects of social media on teens: Anxiety and depression
Research has uncovered various potentially adverse effects of social media that can cause challenges for teenage users. These might include the following:
- Exposing people to rumor-spreading, trolling, and cyber-bullying
- Decreasing face-to-face contact and damaging relationships
- Perpetuating unrealistic views of others’ lives and promoting social comparison
- Serving as a distraction or addiction, which can interfere with other commitments
- Fostering peer pressure
- Causing or contributing to mental health conditions
- Promoting drama and/or conflict
How mental health and social media in adolescence are connected
Social media can be an excellent way to stay connected with people you don't get to see every day, helping to foster communication across the world. However, it can also affect teenagers differently than adults.
Statistics about mental health and social media in adolescence
Developing brains can get hooked on social media “likes”
In general, a teenager’s brain is still developing, and when they receive likes on their social media content, it can activate regions of the brain associated with reward, often contributing to the development of feedback-seeking behaviors. This area of the brain can be susceptible during adolescence, perhaps offering some insight into the intense draw most teens feel toward it.
Peer pressure goes digital
Many teenagers feel intense pressure from their peers to look or behave a certain way. Social media can expand the scope of peer pressure. Young adults often shape their behaviors around what they believe their peers will find acceptable, and with social media, they can be bombarded with constant peer pressure.
Positive peer influence
Social media can have a powerful peer influence over adolescents, but that influence isn’t always negative. When used in moderation and with a cultivated network of positive outlooks and experiences, social media can build a teen’s confidence and encourage healthy, productive behaviors.
Bullying and harassment can be hard to escape
The downside to instant communication with people worldwide may be that it can be challenging to get away from online bullying and harassment. According to recent data, approximately 59% of teens in the United States have experienced one of the six types of online abusive behaviors.
Sexting and other mature content can be shared without consent
One of the significant downsides to social media may be the exposure to explicit content. Many teenagers can be persuaded to exchange messages and photos of a sexual nature without considering the long-term implications. While taking and sending sexually graphic images underage is generally illegal, these images can be shared without consent, which can drastically impact adolescent health, emotional state, reputation, and other areas of life.
Mental health conditions like anxiety and depression in teens
The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory document in 2021 to help parents understand the challenges young people face concerning their mental health, with social media listed as one of the primary causes for concern.
While gender and popularity tend to moderate associations with mental health concerns like depression and anxiety, studies typically show a strong connection to social comparison and feedback-seeking through social media.
Sleep deprivation
While a lack of respect for a healthy sleep schedule can be a typical teenage trait, some adolescents spend so much time on social media that they may lose a significant amount of valuable sleep, potentially affecting their cognitive and physical function.
Jealousy, envy, and constant social comparison
Social media can often cause teens to compare themselves to others, unable to compare to frequently edited photos and exaggerated virtual lives. Though jealousy and envy can be common emotions for everyone to feel occasionally, social media can make them constant, leading to low self-esteem and depressive symptoms.
Misunderstandings due to digital communication
Digital communication, like messaging on social media, doesn’t usually allow for the tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions one would typically get with in-person interactions, making misunderstandings possible.
Isolation from real-world connections
Spending too much time on social media can dull a person's real-world interpersonal skills, possibly making it difficult or awkward to communicate in person.
Unhealthy coping by escaping challenging or negative emotions
Some teens may use social media to avoid coping with negative emotions or to escape challenging feelings they don’t want to face. While it can be effective, it doesn’t usually solve the problems and can reinforce maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Signs social media may be impacting your teen’s mental health
If you’ve been worried your adolescent’s social media use is affecting their mental health or causing low self-esteem, you might check for these signs.
- Being distracted from their real life and responsibilities by social media
- Using social media to avoid negative feelings or only feeling negative after scrolling
- Showing increased frequency or severity of symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and loneliness
- Having little time or attention for self-care activities like eating, sleeping, or exercising
- Spending more time on social media than with their real-world friends and family
- Allowing school, work, relationships, or family obligations to slide while spending time on social media
- Comparing themselves unfavorably to others on social media or frequently displaying jealousy and envy
- Being bullied or harassed online
- Taking unnecessary risks or posting increasingly extreme or explicit content
Online therapy can help parents during their child’s adolescence
Many parents and guardians benefit from the additional emotional support and parenting guidance of a mental health professional as they navigate the teenage years along with their children.
Benefits of online therapy for teens and parents
Consider working with a licensed therapist online through a virtual teletherapy platform like BetterHelp to learn the parenting, communication, and conflict-resolution skills to navigate your child’s adolescence and receive the emotional support you deserve.
If you are a parent or guardian who believes your child would benefit from the support and guidance of a therapist, you can find online therapy for children ages 13 to 19 at TeenCounseling. Both platforms enable users to schedule virtual therapy sessions at convenient times rather than sacrificing time away from other important commitments (like school, sports, or social time).
Effectiveness of online therapy
Studies generally indicate that online and in-person therapy tend to provide comparable outcomes. If you’re interested in seeking professional help regarding your teen’s mental health and social media usage, you may rest assured that either option can be a valid and effective choice.
Takeaway
How does social media affect mental health in adolescents?
Many studies have already been done on the potential effects of social media on adolescent mental health, and more research is ongoing. So far, the evidence suggests that excessive use and/or problematic use of social media platforms may be correlated with negative behavioral health and mental health outcomes.
For example, a study from 2015 called “Using Social Media for Social Comparison and Feedback-Seeking: Gender and Popularity Moderate Associations with Depressive Symptoms” indicates that “technology-based social comparison and feedback-seeking were associated with depressive symptoms,” particularly in adolescent girls.
A study from 2019 suggests that children and teens who spend more than three hours a day on digital technology to use social media double the risk of experiencing mental health challenges like symptoms of depression and anxiety. Even more recent research has uncovered similar findings, indicating that these effects may persist even as adolescents mature and new generations join many social media platforms.
In today’s digital age, the way in which social networking sites are used seems to be a key factor. Technology companies design their platforms to reward high use, so individuals, parents, and teachers may benefit from putting their own guardrails in place to prevent excessive use and related potential outcomes like teenage depression, self-harm, social isolation, poor sleep, and peer victimization. Teaching children about digital literacy, the potential harms of frequent social media use, how to report cyberbullying in a social media context, and how to exercise self-control related to digital devices can be key to improving mental health outcomes in current and future generations.
How does social media affect students' mental health?
A 2024 adolescent psychiatry study—one of many on the topic—examined the effects of social media on student mental health. Its findings suggest that students who use social media instead of engaging in activities that support their overall health, like exercising or enjoying face-to-face time with friends, are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. When misused, social media may actually increase social isolation rather than connect young users, which is in line with the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory in 2023 about the potential negative effects of improper or excessive social media use.
What are the common adolescent concerns that can affect mental health?
There are many different concerns that could affect adolescent mental health. Some examples include:
- Self-comparison through excessive social media use
- Negative social interactions with peers
- Poor sleep quality
- In-person or online abuse or bullying
- A lack of positive interactions with parents or other family members
- Body image concerns
- Climate anxiety
- Lived experiences of discrimination
- An unsafe home environment
- Poverty
What are the factors contributing to the mental well-being of teenagers?
Many factors can contribute to the positive or poor mental health of teenagers. Their own social media use, home environment, peer relationships, physical health challenges, level of social support, frequency of physical activity and other healthy habits, sleep quality, and school environment are some examples of components of this theoretical framework for mental well-being.
How does mental health affect teens?
Many different authorities have declared the state of young people’s mental health overall to be in crisis. Mental health challenges in teens can arise due to concerns about physical appearance, adolescent peer relations, social media’s effects, family, school, their future, or other aspects of life.
Mental health challenges can affect teens in many different ways, potentially impacting sleep quality, suicide risk, emotional regulation abilities, impulse control, mood, school performance, and many other areas. That’s why being aware of risk factors and seeking treatment from healthcare providers as needed can be important for parents, teachers, and others who spend time around teenagers.
What are the positive and negative effects of social media on youth?
As a study from 2023 reports, “ethical social media use can expand opportunities for connection and conversation,” improve self-esteem, and help people find crucial health information. However, unhealthy social media use may negatively impact sleep, self-esteem, and mental health.
The study’s authors propose that youth mental health may improve if frequent social media use is better managed and healthy social media use practices become more widely taught. Future directions of this research may include finding effective ways to promote healthy social media use and digital engagement, particularly among young users.
What are the social factors affecting mental health?
Many different social factors can affect mental health. Some examples include the use of digital devices for virtual social interaction, group and dyadic peer relationships, family relationships, and elements of one’s social environment like the presence of prejudice and discrimination.
How is social media affecting students?
Research suggests that excessive or otherwise problematic social media use in particular may be negatively affecting students and other young people. More than one systematic review of studies on the topic has associated low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and other negative mental health outcomes with this kind of social media use. When used in a healthy way, however, social media may have some benefits related to engaging with positive, health-related content and helping students forge connections.
How does the internet affect mental health?
In some ways, the internet can be beneficial to mental health. It can connect people with loved ones even at a distance and provide a way to engage with enjoyable or useful content from anywhere. However, excessive internet use can lead to addiction-like behaviors, associated negative mental health outcomes, and exposure to harmful content.
What are the mental health changes in adolescence?
There are many types of mental health challenges that can affect adolescents. Some of the most common types include depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and behavioral disorders.
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