Amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on young minds, 1 in 5 teens say it has negatively affected their mental health, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.
The research found that many teens believe social media can be harmful to people their age. The findings come as lawmakers and the US Surgeon General warn that social platforms pose a serious threat to young users, particularly as mental health issues continue to rise among teens. The study was conducted over several weeks in fall 2024 among nearly 1,400 young people aged 13 to 17.
Nearly half of the teens (48%) surveyed said social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age, up significantly from 32% in 2022. But fewer teens (14%) said it has a negative impact on their own mental health.
Teen girls were more likely than boys to report that social media has harmed their mental health (25% vs. 14%), and they were also more likely to say it negatively affects their confidence (20% vs. 10%) and sleep (50% vs. 40%).
The report also highlighted the increasing time teens are spending on these platforms and how they’re aware of this change. About 45% of teen respondents said they spend too much time on social media, compared to 36% in 2022.
Parents are worried
At the same time, however, many teens say the platforms offer important benefits. A majority (74%) said social media helps them feel more connected to their friends.
Parents, meanwhile, are even more concerned. About 55% report being extremely or very worried about the mental health of today’s teens.
The report also notes a growing trend of teens turning to social media for mental health information. More than a third (34%) say they use platforms to learn more about mental health, following a surge of therapist influencers and others sharing personal stories and advice online.
Friends’ posts can affect teens
Alexandra Hamlet, a clinical psychologist in New York City, said she wasn’t surprised by the overall rise in the number of teens acknowledging the negative impact social media can have on mental health. But she wasn’t expecting such a significant gap in how many teens report that their own personal well-being is affected at similar rates.
She attributes this, in part, to a lack of understanding about the many ways social media can indirectly influence other factors examined in the survey, such as bullying, societal issues, school life and social pressures.
«I would argue that many individuals, teens even more so, may not be aware of the impact that certain content or interactions can have on these other factors, and that there is no real way of separating them fully from the social media variable,» Hamlet said. «For example, while many teens are likely to say that they feel a lot of pressure on them to succeed in life, they may not realize that looking at posts of friends having a good time can make them feel less successful socially, even if their social lives are reported to be fulfilling.»
