From the Surgeon General to the American Psychological Association, experts have been raising the alarm about the impact of social media on youth mental health. 8 in 10 youth mental health specialists say that social media is contributing to a mental health crisis in young people. Even the tech companies’ own internal research reveals that their products have created a “perfect storm” of anxiety and negative social comparison promoted through manipulative algorithms. 

Research suggests that reforms to the digital ecosystem can help address some of the most problematic aspects of social media use while enhancing its positive benefits.

Below are more facts and research about kids’ online safety.

• The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA): Protecting LGBTQ+ Children & Adolescents Online 

  • In this fact sheet developed by Fairplay, Eating Disorders Coalition, and the American Psychological Association, learn more about how changes to KOSA will protect LGBTQ+ youth.

• Analysis of Social Media Use, Mental Health, and Gender Identity Among US Youths

• Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youth and cisgender youth use social media differently. This study suggests the relationship between social media use and mental health may be, in part, dependent on gender identity. TGNB youth have higher levels of depression, emotional problems, and worse body image than their cisgender counterparts. Some of the social media behaviors relating to poorer mental health outcomes in cisgender youth relate to better mental health outcomes in TGNB youth, and vice versa. 

• Digital media use and sleep in late adolescence and young adulthood: A systematic review

• Adolescent and young adult digital media use near bedtime or at night was linked to delayed bedtimes, daytime tiredness, and early awakening, but the strongest evidence was found for shorter sleep duration and poor sleep quality. Mobile phone use, specifically, was linked to later bedtimes and daytime tiredness.

• Digital engagement and adolescent depression: A longitudinal mediation analysis adjusting for selection

• High engagement with digital media (more than 4 hours per day and lots of interactions with social media) in late adolescents (ages 17 and 18), may lead to worse depressive symptoms in early adulthood. Social media use may worsen depressive symptoms by harming self-esteem.

• Supporting Teens’ Intentional Social Media Use Through Interaction Design

  • An interactive app developed with feedback from teenagers may help adolescents engage with social media more intentionally. In this proof-of-concept study, an app intended to encourage adolescents to reflect on their social media use helped increase feelings of self-control, meaning, and autonomy when online, and can facilitate self-regulation of social media use.

• Who's most at risk of poor body image? Identifying subgroups of adolescent social media groups over the course of a year

  • Compared to adolescents who use social media frequently, adolescents with more moderate use have better body satisfaction and fewer / less severe weight control behaviors. Over time, body satisfaction and weight control tends to track social media usage. Adolescents who maintain a moderate level of social media use have low, fairly stable body satisfaction and weight control behaviors, whereas adolescents who  maintain higher levels of social media usage also maintain worse body satisfaction, and more weight control behaviors.