How Social Media Affects Teen Mental Health

Over the past two decades, the teenage population has grown infatuated with social media platforms. It has become a form of expression, method of communication, and way of life for many teenagers around the world – sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a negative way. 

There are so many reasons why teenagers use social media today, and it’s something that seems to change every year. Whether it’s connecting with friends or connecting with family, these social media sites dominate the teenage population on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.

While social media can be beneficial when utilized responsibly, it can be just as damaging when utilized excessively or improperly. In fact, recent studies suggest that teenagers are using social media much more often, more frequently, and for longer periods of time than ever before. 

Statistics of Teen Social Media Use

Teenagers’ most popular social media platforms include TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Of course, that’s not even including YouTube, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Reddit, and LinkedIn – though they aren’t used nearly as much as the others listed.

Let’s take a look at some surprising and shocking statistics on teen social media use:

• Snapchat (35%), TikTok (30%), and Instagram (22%) account for 87% of social media usage among teenagers
• Roughly 16% of teenagers use social media’ almost constantly,’ while 27% report using it hourly and 30% report using it daily
• In 2018, 95% of teenagers reported having access to a smartphone
• In 2018, 45% of teenagers were online on a near-constant basis
• Only about 27% of teenagers think social media has a negative effect on their life
• Roughly 40% of teenagers think social media has a positive effect on their life
• Roughly 68% of parents think social media has a negative effect on their child’s social life
• Almost half of TikTok’s users were between the ages of 10 and 25 years old in 2021
• Roughly 70% of low social-emotional well-being teenagers reported feeling left out on social media
• Roughly 43% of low social-emotional well-being teenagers have deleted social media posts because they didn’t receive enough likes
• Roughly 43% of low social-emotional well-being teenagers feel bad about themselves if people don’t comment on or like their posts
• Roughly 37% of low social-emotional well-being teenagers have been cyberbullied on social media
• 55% of cyberbullying victims are between the ages of 14 and 15 years old

As technology continues to dominate the younger generation in today’s digital world, social media usage among teenagers will only continue to rise. If not monitored, controlled, or regulated, teenagers could develop a mental health disorder the more they use social media.

How Social Media Affects Teen Mental Health

An individual’s teenage years are extremely important in terms of growth and development – not just of the body, but of the brain. That’s why anything that threatens their mental health can have a long-term, damaging impact on a teen’s well-being – including improper use of social media.

How can social media affect teenage mental health? Well, let’s take a look at what the negative social media impact on mental health looks like:

• Teenagers become addicted to the good feeling they get when someone likes their post (especially friends and family)
• Teenagers are more susceptible to sexting, cyberbullying, and peer pressure when online
• While a teenager’s brain is still developing, too much social media use can hinder that development
• Social media use can intensify depression-related symptoms
• The pressure that comes with maintaining a social media account results in unwanted anxiety in most teenagers
• Sometimes social media use cuts into valuable sleep time, which can harm mental and physical health

Like most things in life, social media is unharmful and sometimes even beneficial when used in moderation. Unfortunately, some people take advantage of their access to social media, and it starts to have a negative impact on their health – not just mentally, but physically and socially.

How to Find Treatment for Teen Mental Health Disorders

Now that you know how social media affects teen mental health and the overall negative social media impact on mental health, you can make the necessary changes in your child’s life to avoid damage to their cognitive health or function. This is vital to growth and development.

In the event of a teen mental health disorder, you can lean on Thrive Teen to provide quality treatment tailored to meet the unique needs of teenagers. With a combination of modern and traditional therapeutic practices, our treatment program will put your child in a position to recover fully. 
Contact us today to learn more about our Santa Monica teen treatment program or schedule a tour of our facility. We can’t wait to meet you and your family!