The effects of social media on adolescent mental health

What types of precautions can we take as a society to limit some of the possible negative impacts of excessive social media use by young people?

The first thing to understand is the results of most studies are highly variable, as social media impacts each person differently (Hamilton et al., 2023). We can take certain precautions as a society, but the impact of social media on each individual’s well-being will come down to their news literacy, their unique reliance on social technology and how likely they are to be influenced by peers and the mass media at large.

Teaching social media literacy can increase the chances for youth to have meaningful and fulfilling experiences while online (Zsila & Reyes, 2023). This goes for adults as well, but understanding the risks and the distorted reality social media can project is the first step to mitigating its possible effects.

There are many options for parents or guardians worried about their child. Rules or limits can be set on social media use to ensure children accomplish other tasks, such as homework, and get adequate sleep (Mayo Clinic, 2024). Parents can turn on privacy settings or monitor their child’s accounts. 

There are also steps being taken at the societal and governmental levels. France and Israel are among the countries using disclaimers on altered social media photos letting the user know the image has been distorted (Naderer et al., 2022). These disclaimers, often reading “this image has been digitally enhanced,” are an attempt to dissuade impressionable viewers of potential body dissatisfaction that could result from comparing themselves to a photo of a “perfect” model. However, studies have shown that body dissatisfaction is still high for most people, especially young women, after seeing touched-up images even with a disclaimer attached. A study in the Journal of Children and Media suggests disclaimers should highlight what exactly about a photo has been altered, therefore in theory giving the social media user a full understanding of want they’re viewing (Naderer et al., 2022). Overall, disclaimers’ overall effectiveness is debatable.

That didn’t stop U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy from penning an opinion piece for the New York Times this month calling for warning labels on social media platforms (Murthy, 2024). In his essay, he declares, “The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours.”

A parental advocacy group called Smartphone Free Childhood in the United Kingdom is attempting to make a difference at the legislative level (Jha, 2024). This group wants to set a minimum age for when children are allowed to get smart phones and access social media. The mission is to keep children from harmful material, such as pornography, and promote an overall more idealistic childhood. The United Kingdom took a step toward this end in October 2023 when it passed the Online Safety Act, which is designed to protect young people from sexually explicit online material, cyberbullying and harassment. The government is also considering banning the sale of smartphones to people under 16 years old.

One study in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic found that younger adolescents preferred making offline connections as opposed to on social media, whereas the older adolescents preferred online (Hamilton et al., 2023). This suggests that social media preferences and overall use could shift at some point during the teenage years, therefore, the impact social media makes in someone’s life can drastically change from year to year.

Currently the decision to restrict social media use is up to the individual judgement of each parent or guardian. Simple talks with the impacted child about right and wrong, along with keeping an open line of communication, could make a huge impact if an issue should arise (Mayo Clinic, 2024).

Talking to a health care professional is always an option for those who feel help is needed, whether that be because of depression, cyberbullying or something else. The health of you or your loved one is far too important not to take every measure to ensure happiness and safety. Here are some important resources to remember if there is a crisis:

Suicide prevention hotline: Call 988

Crisis text line: crisistextline.org; Text: 741741

National Mental Health Hotline: 866-903-3787

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:
Call: 1-800-662-HELP (4357); Text: 435748. 

Better Help can match you with a licensed therapist: https://www.betterhelp.com

References

Hamilton, J. L., Dreier, M. J., & Boyd, S. I. (2023). Social media as a bridge and a window: The changing relationship of adolescents with social media and digital platforms. Current Opinion in Psychology, 52. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101633

Jha, A (Host). (2024, May 1). Babbage: Teens and their screens [Audio podcast]. Economist Podcasts. https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2024/05/01/what-you-should-know-about-teenagers-and-screen-time

Mayo Clinic. (2024). Teens and social media use: What’s the impact? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437

Murthy, V. (June 17, 2024). Surgeon General: Why I’m calling for a warning label on social media platforms. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/17/opinion/social-media-health-warning.html

Naderer, B., Peter, C., & Karsay, K. (2022). This picture does not portray reality: Developing and testing a disclaimer for digitally enhanced pictures on social media appropriate for Austrian tweens and teens. Journal of Children and Media, 16(2), 149–167. https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1080/17482798.2021.1938619

Pixabay. (2016). Photo of a laptop [Stock image]. https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-laptop-162622/

Zsila, Á., and Reyes, M.E.S (2023). Pros & cons: impacts of social media on mental health. BMC Psychol 11, 201. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x