Growing concern amongst teens about impact of social media “it wreaks havoc upon people’s states of mind”

Social media can be a great way of keeping in touch with friends and family, especially those who don’t live nearby. But the dark side reveals an increase in body image issues, depression, and other negative mental health effects.

In a recent study conducted by Pew Research Center, 1,391 U.S. teens from age 13 to 17, as well as their parents, were interviewed during September and October of 2024. The findings reflect the belief that social media is negatively impacting the mental health of young teens.

“The overuse of social media in our society seems to be the main cause of depression among those in my age group,” a teen boy said in the report. “People seem to let themselves be affected by the opinions of people they don’t know, and it wreaks havoc upon people’s states of mind.”

Teens reigning in social media use due to negative mental health effects

Nearly half of the teens surveyed in this study reported cutting back on using their smart phone and social media, citing mental health as the reason. The study revealed a significant increase in the view of social media as having a negative effect on teens.

In a 2022 Pew study, 32% of teens said they think social media has a “mostly negative” effect on people their age. In the latest survey, that number has increased to 48%. Only 11% of the teens surveyed said they believe social media is “mostly positive” for their peers.

However, when speaking about the effect social media has on their own mental health, the percentage of those who view it negatively is much smaller - just 14% (although that is up from 9% in 2022). Still, there was a nearly 10% increase (45%) in the amount of teens who think they spend too much time on the apps, and 44% report limiting the time they spend on their phones and on social media.

The report comes amidst growing concerns from parents, regulators, and researchers about the impact of social media on teens’ mental health. 89% of parents and 77% of teens have reported being worried about teens’ mental health in general, but parents are more likely to blame social media than teens are. 44% of parents ranked social media as the one thing they believe negatively impacts their teens’ mental health, while just 22% of teens said the same.

The survey also shows that teen girls are more likely to report negative effects than boys are. Some of those effects include poor sleep, reduced confidence, and depression. The findings align both with research conducted in the past as well as internal Meta documents that show that Instagram worsens teen girls’ body image.

In response to these issues, some governments are making changes. Australia banned social media for anyone under the age of 16, and Utah passed a law which requires apps to use age verification. Meta has also recently introduced AI tools meant to catch underage users.

The few positives that teens reported from the survey regarding social media and mental health is that it helps them express their creativity and stay connected with friends.

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