Despite headlines and studies showing that digital media use is having a negative impact on young people’s mental health, the number of young people using social media continues to grow every year.
A majority of teens describe their social media use as “almost constant,” according to a recent Pew Research Center survey, which noted that social media use helps teens be more self-aware of their own limits, rather than relying on curfews or other restrictions set by parents.
YouTube is the most popular platform among teens at 93%, followed by TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
The study also found that teens’ use of sites and apps also didn’t change significantly from 2022 to 2023. The number of teens using these platforms remained stable over the two years, and the percentage of teens using apps like TikTok also remained the same.
“The digital playground can bring about fun, excitement, connection, and a sense of acceptance,” says Linda Charmalaman, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Women’s Center. “But at the same time, it can also make you think, ‘Oh, my life isn’t as good as theirs. I have FOMO. People are mean and spreading rumors.'”
Teens may turn to those close to them, such as cousins, aunts, and uncles, for help in processing what they see online, and they may also turn to other relationships who can help teens understand how to protect themselves in the digital space.
Social media use has pros and cons for all age groups, not just teenagers, and different groups experience social media in different ways depending on their maturity level and friend groups, Charmalaman said.
Charmalaman also said that while there are a lot of studies on social media and mental health, the links are correlational, linking one topic to another and not digging as deep as they should. These studies have mostly focused on older young people, such as college students, and not teenagers.
Teens and “tweens” have different cognitive abilities and developmental tasks they are working through, meaning social media has a bigger impact on their lives.
