Social media apps that many teens blame for mental health struggles

Amid growing concern about the impact of social media on young minds, one in five teens say it has had a negative impact on their mental health. Report from the Pew Research Center.

Research has found that many teenagers believe social media is harmful to people of their age. The findings will be brought to lawmakers US Surgeon Warning Its social platform poses a serious threat, especially to younger users. Mental health issues It continues to rise among the teens. The study was conducted over several weeks in fall 2024 out of almost 1,400 young people aged 13-17.

Almost half of the teens surveyed (48%) say social media has almost negatively affected people, with a significant increase in 32% in 2022.

Teenage girls were more likely to report that social media hurt their mental health (25% vs. 14%), and it was also more likely to have a negative impact on their confidence (20% vs. 10%) and sleep (50% vs. 40%).

The report also highlights the time teens are spending on these platforms and how they perceive this change. Approximately 45% of teen respondents said they took too long to social media compared to 36% in 2022.

My parents are worried

But at the same time, many teens say the platform offers important benefits. A majority (74%) say social media helps them feel connected to their friends.

Meanwhile, the parents are even more worried. Approximately 55% report being extremely concerned about the mental health of teens today.

The report also notes an increasing trend of teens turning to social media for mental health information. A third (34%) say they use the platform to learn more about mental health following the surge in therapist influencers and others who share personal stories and advice online.

Friends’ posts can affect teens

New York City clinical psychologist Alexandra Hamlet said she was not surprised by the overall increase in the number of teens who acknowledge the negative impact social media has on mental health. However, she did not expect such a significant gap in the number of teenagers who report their personal happiness being affected at a similar rate.

She attributes this in part to a lack of understanding of the many ways that social media can indirectly influence other factors investigated in the study, such as bullying, social issues, school life, and social pressure.

“Many teens may not be aware of the impact that certain content or interactions have on these other factors, and they argue there is no real way to completely separate them from social media variables,” Hamlet said. “For example, many teens may say they feel a lot of pressure on them to succeed in life, but even if their social life is reported to be fulfilling, they may not realize that seeing a friend’s post having a good time can feel socially unsuccessful.”