<span class="sr-only">open menu</span>
- blog<span class="twc-breadcrumb-item-arrow tw-mx-2.5 tw-w-1.25 tw-h-3 md:tw-h-4 tw-flex"></span>
social media and teen mental health
updated june 29, 2025<span class="tw-mx-2 tw-font-normal">|</span>posted august 10, 2023
<span class="tw-mr-1">by the annie e. casey foundation</span>
![]()
<span class="tw-inline-block tw-w-2 tw-h-4"></span>
the u.s. surgeon general’s<span class="numbers">2023</span>social media and youth mental healthadvisoryoutlines the latest scientific evidence regarding social media’s effects on youth mental health. the report recommends actions that policymakers, technology companies, parents and others can take to ensure the online safety of young people. this post highlights key findings from the advisory, along with recent data updates on teen social mediause.
key takeaways
- XXXXXXXXX’ use of XXXXXX XXXXX is XXXXspread XXX pervasive.
- XXXXXX XXXXX use XXX benefit teens, XXX it XXX also be detrimenXXX XX ayoung user’s XXXXXX, XXXX XXXXXtial harms XXXXXXing XXXXX deficits, XXXXXXXXXX, XXXX XXXX-image andmore.
- while XXXX XXXXXXXX XX XXXXed, concerns are XXXing XXXXX experts, XXXents, young XXXple and XXXers about XXX effects XX XXXXXX XXXXX on XXXX menXXX XXXXXX.
- XXXXX causes XX conXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXsive and problemXXic XXXXXX media XXX, as well as exposure to XXXXful XXXXXXX.
- XX XXXlesXXXXX is XXXXXical phase of brain develXXment, the XXXXXX of XXXXXX media during XXXX XXXnerable XXXXod XXXXXXXX urgent XXXXXXXXX.
- XXXilies, tech companies, XXXiXXXXXers and XXXers must XXXX together to create XXXXX and healthier social XXXXX environments for XXXXX people.
key XXXXXXX XX social XXXXX impact XX teen XXXXXX health
a number of facXXXX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXXa’s effects on XXXlesXXXX XXXXXX well-being, XXXXXXXXX:
- how much XXXX XXXXX XXXXX on XXX XXXXXXXXX.
- XXX XXXX of XXXXXXX XXXX consume.
- XXX interXXXXXXX and activities they XXXXXXXXXX.
- how much XXXXX XXXXXX XXXXX XXX disrupts healthy XXXly activities.
XXXXXX XXXXX tools XXX, XX XXXXXX, XXXXXX XXXX XXXXX-bait XXXXXXX and accesXXble<span XXXXX="XXXXXXX"&XX;24</span>–&XX;span class="numbers">X</span>, XXXing XX XXXiXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXX. some XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX these XXXXX elicit XXXXXiXXing XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX in users XXXX XXX XXXX XX psychologiXXX XXXXings, similar XX addition. the result XXX XX XXXXXsive and XXXXlemXXXX social media XXXXXity, XXXX XX comXXXsive or uncontrolXXXXXXXX.
XXXXXXX levels of XXXX social mediause
XXXtuXXXX XXX XXXXX (&XX;span class="XXXXXXX">XX###/span#<) ages<span class="XXXXXXX">13</span&XX;to&XX;span class="numbers"&XX;17</span>XXX the interXXX XXXly, with nearly XXXX saying XXXX XXX online&XX;span XXXXX="XXXX-double"&XX;&XX;/span>&XX;span XXXXX="XXXX-double">“</span>XXXXXX XXXstantXX,” according to a<span XXXXX="numbers">XXXX&XX;/span&XX;XXX XXXXXXXX surXXX. of XXX XXXX most XXXXXXXX used social XXXXX apps &XXXXX; youtube, tiktok, XXXXXgram, XXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXX &XXXXX;a XXXXX XX teens XXXXXX XXXXX one or XXXX XX these&XX;span XXXXX="XXXX-XXXXXX"></span&XX;<span XXXXX="pull-double"&XX;“</span&XX;XXXXXX XXXXXXXXly.” XXXXX XXXX u.s. XXXXXX media XXXXforms require users XX be at least&XX;span XXXXX="numbers">XX&XX;/span>XXXXX old,an XXXXmated&XX;span class="XXXXXXX">64###/span#< of XXXX</span&XX;ages<span class="XXXXXXX"&XX;X&XX;/span>XX<span XXXXX="XXXXXXX">12</span&XX;&XXXXX; including the XXXXXX XXXXXXX ofXXXeration XXXXX&XXXXX; use youtube and tikXXX XXXXXXXX.</span&XX;
XXX XXXXXXX general’s advisoXX XXXed XXXX adolesXXXXX who use XXXXXX media more than XXXXX XXXXX per XXX face twice the XXXX XX XXXXriencing poor XXXtal XXXXXX outcomes. XXXXXXXnately, XXXXXing XXXX XXXXcate XXXX XXX XXXXX social media use frequently XXXXXXX XXXX time. for instance:
a XXXXXXgallup surXXXfound that u.s. teens ages<span class="XXXXXXX">XX&XX;/span&XX;to&XX;span class="numbers">19</span>use XXXXXX XXXXX an average XX&XX;span class="numbers"&XX;4</span>.&XX;span XXXXX="XXXXXXX">X&XX;/span>XXXXX XXXXX day, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX (<span XXXXX="numbers"&XX;XX###/span#<) spending XXXXimum XX four XXXXX aday XX these platforms.</span&XX;XXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXXX that young teens aged&XX;span XXXXX="numbers"&XX;XX</span&XX;had XXX XXXest XXXXXX media use XXXXage, at<span XXXXX="numbers"&XX;X&XX;/span&XX;.&XX;span XXXXX="numbers">X&XX;/span&XX;XXXXX XXXX, while&XX;span class="XXXXXXX">17&XX;/span>-XXXX-olds had the XXXXest XXXXage, at<span class="numbers">X</span&XX;.&XX;span class="XXXXXXX"&XX;X</span>hours XXXXXX.XXXXXX time XX alarmingly high XXX XXXXXXX XXX alpha children, XXX, with a<span XXXXX="XXXXXXX"&XX;2024</span&XX;XXXvey XXXXing XXXX<span class="numbers"&XX;XX###/span#< of kids ages&XX;span XXXXX="XXXXXXX">X&XX;/span>to<span XXXXX="numbers">XX</span>spend XX XX<span XXXXX="XXXXXXX">4</span>hours aday</span&XX;XX XXXXXX media.
read XXXX about the effects XX social media on XXX alpha.
how XXXX social media XXXXXX XXXXX?
XXXXXX XXXXX XXX can XXXXXX teenagers in both positive XXX XXXative XXXX. researchers are XXXXX evaluating the XXXX-term XXXXXXX of XXXXXX media, due to XXX newXXXX of the XXXXnology. however, agrowing body XX XXXdence strongly links XXXXX XXXXXX media XXX among teenagers XX XXXXber XX XXXaXXXX XXXXXXXX.
XXXaXXXX effects of social media XX XXXX mental XXX XXXXiXXX health
XXXXXXXX studies show that XXXXer XXXels XX social media use among chilXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX are linked XX wide-ranging adverse effects:
- depresXXXX and anxiety;
- inadeXXXXX sleep (XXXXX can disrupt neuroXXXical developXXXX XXX lead XX depresXXXX XXX suiXXXXX XXXXXXXXX);
- low self-esteem;
- poor XXXXXXXXX;
- XXXing disorder behaviors;and
- XXXXXX harassment.
in addition to heavy social media XXX, XXXXlematXX use (e.g., addicXXXX behavior) XXX XXXXful conXXXX exposure are key concerns. problematXX social XXXXX XXX, XXX examXXX, is associXXed with XXXXXtion deficit problems.
harmXXX XXX inappropriate XXXXXX media conXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX XXXthing from XXXX-taking XXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXtions XX XXXX-XXXX XXXX XX XXXX-based, XXXual or other violent content. XXXXXXXX shows XXXX XXXXsure XX harmful XXXXXX XXXXX conXXXX XXX normalize XXX XXXmote XXXXXX behavXXX in XXXXX. young people also XXX be exposed XX predaXXXX XXXXXXXX, XXXXXing or harassXXXX online.
XXXX of these risks XXX greater for girls XXXXXX boys and for XXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXriXXXingXXXtal healthXXXXXX. addiXXXXal XXXXXXXX from XXX advisoXX include:
- XXXXXX<span class="XXXXXXX">2</span>in<span XXXXX="XXXXXXX"&XX;X&XX;/span&XX;adolescents XXX&XX;span XXXXX="push-double"&XX;&XX;/span&XX;<span class="pull-double"&XX;“</span&XX;XXXXX” or&XX;span class="push-XXXXXX"&XX;&XX;/span>&XX;span class="pull-XXXXXX"&XX;“&XX;/span>XXXXtimes” exposed to hate-XXXXX XXXXXXX on XXXXXX XXXXX.
- studies XXXX found aconnecXXXX between XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXbullying and depresXXXX XXXXX young people.
- teen XXXXX XXX<span XXXXX="XXXX"&XX;XXXXX</span>youth XXX more XXXXly XX XXXXrience cyberbulXXing and XXXXXX harassXXXX, which can XXXX to XXXX XXXXXXXal health.
- XXXXXX&XX;span class="numbers">6</span>in&XX;span class="numbers"&XX;10</span>XXXX XXXXX XXXXXXed being XXXtacted XX strangers XX social XXXXX in ways XXXX XXXX them feel XXXXXXXXXXXXX.
">