Half of the surveyed US teens say social media is negative for their mental health

Yes, you read that right. Teens themselves are acknowledging that social media is largely having a negative effect on their mental health. As per a recent Statista report (which further cites a Pew Research Center survey), 48% of the surveyed US teens aged between 13 and 17 say social media has negative effect on them.

The report further reveals that 35% of the surveyed teens said they are extremely or very concerned about the mental health of teenagers these days, and 22% of them clearly consider social media as their biggest enemy when it comes to mental health.

And if that isn’t enough, another study reveals an even more serious trend – accessing social media while driving.

According to a research from Mass General Brigham which surveyed over 1,100 young drivers across the United States, over 21% of teenagers’ driving time is spent looking at screens, and close to 92% of the adolescents check out their phone (or engage in distracted driving behaviour) at least once per trip. And 65% of the time they spend looking at their phone while driving goes towards entertainment – yeah, social media included there.

While the numbers may seem alarming, there is a silver lining here: As pointed out by the Statista report cited earlier, teens themselves are aware of the problem. Often times, when you consistently fail to acknowledge an issue, it can develop into an incurable mess over time. However, if you start acknowledging an addiction, it’s always seen as the first step towards curing it.

For example, in India’s tech-capital Bengaluru , this new report says kids are actively seeking help when it comes to digital addiction. The staff at SHUT (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) clinic clearly lists social media as one of the major online addiction factors.

“The clinic has also recorded a rise in cases involving compulsive use of short-video apps and social media platforms such as Instagram, where features like reels, stories, and likes keep users constantly engaged,” the report says.

Imagine the plight of those parents whose kids are severely impacted with social media addiction. The Statista report said that over 44% of the surveyed parents consider social media as the number one enemy for their kids’ mental health. The same sentiment is echoed by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt:

As I reported earlier today, even governments in several countries (especially Europe) are trying hard to come up with a framework that ensures teens can’t access social media until a particular age, and when they do have the access, there are parental controls involved.

However, it’s not all doom-and-gloom. The Statista reports does mention that 11% teens say they largely see positive effects of social media on themselves. And there are other studies as well that support the claim. For example, a University of California research showed how TikTok can promote healthy eating habits in teenagers.

And then there’s this story of an 18-year-old Garner Hall, who himself was the victim of social media addiction, and how he not only de-addicted himself, but now runs a very successful Instagram page on which he promotes digital detoxication. Propelled by this success, he is even building more tools that would help people focus more on their real life.

As I said, it’s not all negative. Anyway, that’s it for today. Oh, and before I wrap this article up, I hope you are aware that David Fincher’s 2010 Oscar-winning hit “The Social Network” is getting a sequel. It’s titled “The Social Network Part II.”