LaDelfa
For most American teenagers today, exposure to social media is part of daily life. Nearly half of U.S. teenagers say they are on the Internet “nearly constantly,” according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Most teenagers are on popular social media apps, including YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Discord, for nearly five hours each day.
Such minute-by-minute exposure to information, opinions, advertising, and other stimuli has a significant impact on teenagers’ mental and emotional health. The influence can range from benign to harmful. Adults in a teenager’s life need to understand the impact of social media—and have a strategy to promote healthful engagement.
Benefits of social media for teenagers
On the plus side, social media apps can help build community. For teenagers who endured the isolating years of the COVID-19 pandemic or are not comfortable with social interaction in general, social media can help them learn how to behave in group settings and connect with other people their age.
For some people, like people of color or LGBTQ+ teens who feel like they don’t have a social group where they fit in at school, social media communities can create a sense of belonging and serve as a support system. Teens can learn how to deal with difficult situations from others’ experiences.
Learning how to talk about mental health concerns is another advantage. Watching videos or talking with other people about depression, anxiety, or other issues can help teens put into words how they feel. In some cases, it could lead them to ask for help.
Sometimes it’s easier to ask for help behind a screen instead of in person – and depending on the situation, it could be safer to ask virtually instead of in person. Social media can be a gateway to allow these good things to happen.
How social media can harm teen mental health
Social media affects everyone differently. Teens will use it in a variety of ways, depending on their maturity level, home culture, social life, pre-existing mental health conditions, and other factors. Unfortunately, years of experience and research point to the challenges and potential harms of social media being greater than its benefits.
Bullying is a significant problem, with nearly half of American teens saying they have been bullied online.
The amount of time teenagers spend on social media affects their health. Research shows that American pre-teens and teens ages 12-15 who use social media more than three hours each day face twice the risk of having a negative mental health outcome.
Social media can distract teens from daily responsibilities like homework, housework, and self-care.
A good litmus test is observing whether phone use interferes with their ability to regulate their emotions at home, school, or work. If it is creating an unhealthy dynamic, this might be worth a deeper conversation.
Some videos or social media groups glorify unstable mental or physical health diagnoses such as anorexia, ADHD, and personality disorders. Through misinformation, they idealize unattainable lifestyles, encourage isolating behaviors, or support unhealthy behaviors.
Another area of concern is self-produced explicit content. When one teen takes an explicit photo or video and sends it to another teen, it might be considered pornography. There are potential legal repercussions not only for the child but also for their parents, which may include law enforcement. This activity can be between teenagers, but it also happens with teens who befriend someone whom they believe to be another teen but is actually an adult predator.
The effect of social media on physical health
Social media can affect some teens’ physical health:
Sleep: Arguably the most common ‘side effect’ of being on a phone late at night is losing sleep or having poor quality sleep. Teens often stay up late to browse social media when they need to wake up early for school or work the next day. Studies suggest, teens who are on their phones late at night are more likely to be linked to “depressive humor, low self-esteem, externalizing behavior, and low coping ability.”
Body image: There are accounts, hashtags, and groups on various social media apps dedicated to unrealistic views of a person’s life or body. Teens can watch or listen to an influencer advise them on how not to eat, or how to over-exercise to burn off more calories so they can achieve a certain look, when the habit or behavior is unhealthy.
Misdiagnosing health conditions: Over the last few years, more teens have begun searching out different health diagnoses and self-diagnosing themselves with conditions they might not have. Teens may see other teens talking about having conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, or autism and see themselves reflected in those videos. Inaccurate self-diagnosis can lead to a missed health condition. Teens may think they have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder when in fact they have anxiety.
Talk with your teen about social media
The best thing any parent can do for their teenager is to start with an open conversation. Be willing to hear your child out on their position and do your best to hold back the urge to jump to a conclusion and tell them you know better (even if you do). Being curious will serve your relationship better in the long run.
Getting your child to think critically is the most beneficial thing you can do because eventually, they will be out in the real world and need to rely on their skills to make good decisions.
Other ways to be actively involved in a healthy way might include:
Being their friend (online): Add them as a friend on different social media apps so you can monitor what they are posting and who they might interact with online.
Using parental controls: Verizon, Apple, Android, and other companies allow parental controls to be enabled and various settings turned on, so children can’t access certain types of sites or content.
Talking consistently: Having regular talks about social media (‘I saw this, what do you think?’) lets them know you value their opinion and it gets them to think critically.
Following the same rules: Imposing time limits on your own social media use and modeling good behavior will help set children up for success as healthy adults.
Social media is not all bad. It can be used as a tool. But it has to be used healthfully and in moderation. Navigating this creates a huge opportunity for teens and parents to learn together.
Anna LaDelfa, LMHC, a senior primary therapist with Rochester Regional Health’s Home-Based Crisis Intervention program, works frequently with teenagers.
