Updated July 30, 2026

Many people, including children and teens, turn to social media for entertainment, news and connection with others. In a recent survey, 36% of teens interviewed say they use at least one of the top five social platforms “almost constantly.”

Carol Vidal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., child and adolescent psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, and Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, talk about what is known of social media’s effects on mental health in children and teens.

What is the impact of social media on the mental health of children and teens?

Some experts believe that mental health concerns may be an unexpected side effect of increased social media use. While the link between the two is still being researched, it’s becoming more important to monitor the way children and teens use social media and its effects.

Positive Effects of Social Media on Children and Teens

Social media can benefit mental health by providing:

• Access to information that might be unavailable elsewhere.
• A safe place to express oneself.
• A way to break through barriers, such as distance or shyness, in connecting with others. In a 2024 survey, 74% of teens agreed that social media made them feel more connected to their peers.

In addition, many children and teens can find support using social media. For instance, many social media platforms encourage help-seeking behaviors, such as:

• Helping initiate mental health care.
• Affirming sexual identity.
• Providing social support.
• Providing a buffering effect against stress.

“Social media can be used in ways that may be beneficial,” says Vidal. “For example, many children and teens may find a community that is more accepting of who they are than their immediate family or school environment. In that sense, social media can provide connection with peers who share interests, identities and abilities.”

Negative Effects of Social Media on Children and Teens

Despite the benefits of social media, there are drawbacks. In 2023, the United States Surgeon General released a social media advisory about social media and mental health.

According to the advisory, evidence suggests that social media has potential to harm the mental health of children and adolescents. The advisory noted that frequent social media use could be associated with changes in parts of the brain related to:

• Impulse control.
• Social behavior.
• Emotional regulation.
• Sensitivity to social punishments and rewards.

Social Media and Addiction in Children and Teens

The advisory also suggested that social media exposure can overstimulate the brain’s reward system in ways similar to addiction. This may come from a need to escape from real world problems, reduce loneliness or feel more connected to the outside world. An increase in dopamine signals during scrolling or sharing content that receives attention can cause positive reinforcement that leads young people to return to the source often. The cycle can be especially hard for young people to break.

Social Media and Depression in Children and Teens

There is also correlation between social media use and depression. Research has shown that there are high rates of depression with very low and very high social media use.

“This demonstrates that there is a ‘sweet spot’ of use for each child that is often specific to their developmental level and protective factors,” Katzenstein says.

Research has also shown that those who spend more time on social media tend to show more symptoms of depression. However, there could be several reasons for this link.

“Depression is complex and has many risk factors not directly related to social media use patterns,” says Vidal. “However, excessive social media use is associated with behaviors that could contribute to the worsening of depressive symptoms.”

Some of these behaviors include:

• Social isolation: Children and teens spend less time connecting with friends and family in person compared with past generations. Many now use social media to connect, which can leave them feeling even more isolated or excluded when seeing others engage in social activities without them.
• Lack of healthy activities: Physical activity and time spent outdoors help release endorphins, which can help ease symptoms of depression. They can also provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence. But time spent on social media may lead to a lack of activity that prevents these rewards.
• Lack of sleep: Research shows that sleep deprivation is a common contributor to depression, and social media can have a notable impact on sleep:
  • Scrolling on social media can lead to stress, which can make it hard to sleep.
  • Some intend to browse a social app for a few minutes and end up in it for hours.
  • Blue light emitted from electronic screens can interfere with sleep patterns.
• Exposure to bullying: Cyberbullying allows bullies to remain anonymous and parents potentially unaware. Kids who are being cyberbullied might not tell parents because they may be afraid of losing access to technology or of consequences if they were on sites they should not have been on.
• Increased social comparisons: Kids seeing how other people are living (or projecting to be living) can feel sad, unfulfilled or like they are not living to a standard they perceive to be desirable. These often-unreal expectations can severely affect a young person’s self-esteem.

Additionally, depression and suicide have increased as the number of people on social media and the number of social media platforms have increased.

“This is correlational not causational,” adds Katzenstein. “But it cannot be overlooked as a factor in adolescent and teen mental health.”

How Can Parents Teach Children and Teens to Have Healthy Social Media Habits?

Parents can work with their children to create healthy digital habits and encourage moderation in its use by:

• Discussing the negative effects with children and teens to raise awareness and help manage those potential effects.
• Modeling positive behaviors in their own social media use, as children and teens are more likely to emulate what they see, rather than what they are told.
• Helping to implement strategies to moderate use, such as:
  • Taking regular breaks from digital devices.
  • Turning off notifications.
  • Establishing phone-free hours and spaces.
  • Discussing appropriate boundaries and behaviors when interacting online.

“Learning to have a healthy relationship with social media is as important as learning to have healthy relationships with food or exercise,” explains Vidal. “Delaying the purchase of smartphones until the child is ready is a good first step. But it’s also important to instill healthy habits in children’s use of screens given that technology — and social media in particular — will be present throughout their lives.”

Katzenstein adds, “It’s important for parents to model healthy social media use and discuss social media citizenship behaviors with our children, to ensure we are not posting anything we wouldn’t say directly to someone in the ‘real world.’”

Medically reviewed by Carol Vidal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. and Jennifer Margaret Katzenstein, Ph.D.