By Ashlyn Kish ’27
“The worst thing about social media is how it can mess with your head and make you feel like you’re not good enough ” (Kamenet). Social media use is proven to impact a teenager’s mental health. Should anything be done about it? Social media can affect teenagers through issues like cyberbullying, comparison, isolation, sleep issues, and, unfortunately, many others. These effects can be improved by limiting social media use.
Teenagers scroll through hundreds of videos and social media posts daily, spending hours looking at others’ lives and wishing they were them. While scrolling, you see someone having a blast on their cruise around the world, and you compare yourself, wanting that to be you. You continue scrolling and see a celebrity’s post, and they look practically perfect, with a filtered face and body, but again, you compare yourself and want to be them. As you finish scrolling, you realize you have compared yourself to all of the people you have scrolled through.
Comparison is a very large issue in this world, as it may lead you to low self-esteem or dissatisfaction in your own life. So many teenagers struggle with comparison, making them feel depressed as they are not like the others they see. As one teenage girl reflects, “The people they see on social media, it makes them think they have to look and be like them or they won’t be liked.” This quote is a strong example of comparison online, showing how it can ruin one’s confidence and self-image. Parents are also becoming aware of the issue of comparison, one saying, “Social media is a big part of teens’ lives nowadays, and they are always trying to live up to the expectations of all the friends on their pages.” The quote from this father shows teenagers face constant pressure to be like the peers they have around them.
The best strategy in this situation is to reduce your screen time, so you don’t have to scroll through others’ posts wanting to be in their shoes. For example, “Teen girls are more likely to say they’ve tried to reduce their screen time. While about half of girls say they have tried to cut back on social media and smartphone use, 40% of boys say the same for each” (Faverio). This quote shows us that there is hope in reducing screen time, allowing you to not compare.
Social media can also cause social isolation, as you are locked up behind your screens, you miss out on the actual world, not the virtual world. Spending too much time alone, on social media, can lead to mental health issues like depression as you’re disconnected from your life, anxiety as isolation can increase worry levels, and other issues. John Hopkins Medicine put together an article explaining multiple scenarios on how social media affects teenagers’ mental health, and one section is about social isolation. Carol Vidal, a psychiatrist, states, “Today’s children and teens spend less time connecting with friends and family in person compared with past generations” (Vidal). This quote from Vidal shows that the teens in this generation are extremely socially isolated. Face-to-face communication is so important: not only does it show nonverbal communication, it also promotes a stronger connection, but this generation does not have that as we are too busy scrolling. Another quote from Vidal states, “Many use social media to connect, which can leave them feeling just as isolated. Online social interactions may not be as rewarding” (Vidal). Vidal states that social media can connect people, but this is not a true interaction, so it could make them feel worse about themselves. In the article, Vidal tells parents to advise their teenagers to take frequent breaks, turn off notifications, and establish phone-free hours. These three tasks can easily help any teenager stay off social media and hang out with their friends and family.
Doctors recommend teenagers get around eight to ten hours of sleep every night, but how many teenagers get that amount of sleep? You start scrolling on TikTok, telling yourself you will only watch videos for fifteen minutes, but next thing you know, it is three in the morning, and you are supposed to be up and ready for school in a few hours, but you couldn’t stop scrolling. Now you ruined your sleep schedule, and you are having issues sleeping, all because of your social media. Columbia University had a conversation with Anne Marie Albano, director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, discussing issues like sleep. The question asked was “How does social media impact sleep?” Here was the answer, “The bottom line is technology keeps you awake. The artificial light arouses your brain and disrupts the production of melatonin to induce sleep. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation is linked to increased anxiety, stress, depression, and also substance abuse” (Albano). From this, we can see that it is a proven fact that the light from your phone does make you stay up longer. Another point from Albano is, “Many of them sleep with their phones either next to their beds or under their pillows. So, it’s vibrating or dinging all through the night, keeping them awake” (Albano). It is very common for a teenager to have their phone with them all of the time, even when it is time for bed; some even keep their phones right next to their body while they’re sleeping. A healthy habit, Albano states, is to “set a time each night when you’ll put all the screens away to give yourself enough time to wind down and prepare the body for sleep” (Albano). This method can be beneficial as you are setting your body up to not be on social media or your phone, and get the appropriate amount of sleep. Another recommendation is if your phone’s notifications are going off as you’re trying to sleep, just turn on Do Not Disturb. There are ways to prevent yourself from getting sleep issues from social media.
Going back to a point stated earlier, comparison, I am going to dig deeper and discuss body image. You may see the most fit person appear on your feed, but the photo is most likely photoshopped, and the individual is hitting a pose to make them look more in shape. Looking at this can give teenagers body dissatisfaction at a young age. An institution researched this, here is some data: “When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 said social media makes them feel worse” (The Reach Institute). Forty-six percent may sound like a small number, but in reality, it isn’t; it shows there is a portion of teenagers who struggle with looking at others and experiencing lower self-esteem. Body image or body dysmorphia can lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or even an eating disorder. An eating disorder is a mental disorder that affects your eating behaviors, which can change one’s physical or mental health. For example, “Jasmine Reese, MD, a REACH faculty member and director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Specialty Clinic at Johns Hopkins, shared that her hospital did a study on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents with eating disorders and uncovered a shocking 188% rise in admissions for ED in youth aged 10 to 21.5 She explained that ‘There’s a lot of body image comparison because everybody online tends to look a certain way or looks perfect in their eyes’” (Reese). The quote from Reese shows a study that was done, and there was a large rise in the percentage of eating disorders due to looking at others’ bodies online. In this article, they provide readers with different resources to help with social media addiction. First, “CommonSenseMedia.org: An organization that checks and rates movies, shows, and apps to help parents know if they’re appropriate for kids. They also support research on how media affects children and speak out for rules that protect kids when using media. AAP’s Family Media Plan: This useful online tool helps families manage their screen time together, considering: Use of screens and social media for parents and children, balancing media with physical activity, sleep, schoolwork, and unplugged time, and encouraging face-to-face interactions during routines, designating media-free areas at home and regularly reviewing and adapting the plan (The Reach Institute). These two plans allow younger adults and individuals to control their time on social media so they aren’t impacted by the negative. My main advice is to limit your screen time, so you don’t have to look at others’ bodies.
Suicide is a very deep topic, but extremely crucial to discuss when thinking about social media. Over 740,000 global deaths from suicide occur annually — one suicide every 43 seconds. This is heartbreaking. Social media can be a cruel place that causes suicide. There are so many negatives to these platforms; cyberbullying, bullying online, can have a huge effect on one’s life. The Health University of Utah wrote about suicide from social media, “Research has shown that young adults who use social media are three times as likely to suffer from depression, putting a large portion of the population at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors” (The Impact of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health). The quotation above shows that social media does have a major impact on mental health, which can lead to a higher risk of suicide. Listed below is devastating data regarding suicide, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of suicides in females aged 15-24 increased 87 percent over the past 20 years. And among males aged 15-24, the number of suicides rose by 30 percent over that same time period” (The Impact of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health). This is truly heart-wrenching information. Suicidal thoughts or even suicide can be caused by a variety of things, but when social media has been introduced into the world, the rates have increased more. A plan to better these harmful thoughts is, “Listen to your teen. These conversations are two-way streets. Having an open ear to their thoughts and concerns about what they see online will help maintain an honest communication channel. Make sure your teen knows they can come to you with any questions” (The Impact of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health ). This quote goes for parents alongside teens. If you are a parent, listen to your teenager, listen to their problems, and be there to guide and support them. If you are having suicidal thoughts, remember there is always someone who is there for you; there will always be someone.
A common argument today is that social media may have positive effects, creating social connections. For example, “Two that I often mention are social connection and social support. Social media allows youth to connect with people near and far, create friendships, maintain those friendships, stay in touch with family who live far away” (Prothero). This author sees social media as a tool for connection; it may appear to foster connection, but this isn’t always the case, as it leads to distance in communication in reality.
As a final point, social media does affect a teenager’s mental health. Social media is not a safe space due to comparison, isolation, sleep issues, body images, cyberbullying, and suicide. It can and will affect someone’s life. There are ways to fix this: set a limit for yourself, and don’t allow these things to happen to you. It is crucial that this issue is addressed so that we can create a healthier place for the next generations.
Works Cited
Columbia University. “Is Social Media Threatening Teens’ Mental Health and Well-being?” Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 20 May 2021, https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/social-media-threatening-teens-mental-health-and-well-being. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Faverio, Michelle, et al. “Social Media and Teens’ Mental Health: What Teens and Their Parents Say.” Pew Research Center, 22 April 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Health University of Utah. “The Impact of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health.” University of Utah Health, 20 January 2023, https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2023/01/impact-of-social-media-teens-mental-health. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Hopkins, John. “Social Media and Mental Health in Children and Teens.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2025, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/social-media-and-mental-health-in-children-and-teens. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Kamenetz, Anya. “I Asked 65 Teens How They Feel About Being Online “Social media is a necessity. You take it away from us? It’s like, Oh, wow, we have nothing left.” 21 September 2021. Accessed 13 May 2025.
Prothero, Arianna. “How Social Media May Benefit Teens’ Mental Health.” Education Week, 16 February 2024, https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-social-media-may-benefit-teens-mental-health/2024/02. Accessed 13 May 2025.
The Reach Institute. “Home Mental Health Blog How Social Media is Impacting Teens.” The REACH Institute, 27 June 2023, https://thereachinstitute.org/mind-over-minutes-how-youths-screen-habits-are-impacting-their-mental-health/. Accessed 12 May 2025.
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