Social media is a routine part of life for many teenagers. It can help young people maintain friendships, find communities, express themselves and access information. At the same time, researchers continue to study how certain social media experiences affect adolescent mental health and well-being.
Social media use among teens remains widespread. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, roughly nine in 10 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 use YouTube, while around six in 10 use TikTok and Instagram. Some teens report using these platforms almost constantly.
The relationship between social media and mental health is complex. The U.S. Surgeon General has said there is not enough evidence to conclude that social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents, while also recognizing that social media can provide benefits for some young people.
Why Is Social Media So Appealing to Teens?
Social media allows teenagers to communicate with friends, share interests, discover information and entertainment, and connect with communities beyond their immediate surroundings. For some young people, online communities can also provide meaningful social support.
However, the same features that make social media engaging can encourage frequent use. Notifications, recommendations, likes, comments and continuously refreshed content can make it difficult for some users to disengage.
Social Media Addiction and Compulsive Use
Social media platforms have faced lawsuits and government scrutiny over allegations that certain design features encourage children and teens to use their products compulsively. Features such as autoplay, notifications, recommendation systems and visible engagement metrics have been among those examined in litigation involving youth social media use.
These concerns are also reflected in recent changes to teen accounts. Under a 2026 multistate settlement, Meta agreed to new restrictions involving screen time, overnight access, notifications and other features for users under 18.
Fear of Missing Out
Social media makes it possible for teens to see what friends and peers are doing throughout the day. For some adolescents, this can contribute to fear of missing out, frequent checking or concern about being excluded from social activities.
How a teen experiences social media matters. Researchers increasingly examine factors such as social comparison, feedback-seeking, sleep disruption and patterns of engagement rather than treating all social media use as equally harmful.
Why Social Media Design Has Drawn Legal Scrutiny
Social media platform design has increasingly become the subject of litigation involving alleged harm to young users. Recent verdicts have examined whether certain platform features can contribute to those harms. Concerns surrounding social media design include:
- Recommendation systems
- Frequent notifications
- Social comparison
- Data collection
- Features that encourage users to remain engaged
These concerns do not mean every adolescent will experience harm from social media. Effects can vary based on the individual, the content encountered, how platforms are used and other circumstances.
How Can Social Media Affect Teen Mental Health?
Social media can affect adolescents differently depending on how they use it, the content they encounter and their individual circumstances. Researchers have identified several areas of concern when studying social media and youth mental health.
The Culture of Comparison
Social media often presents carefully selected or edited versions of people's lives. For adolescents, repeated exposure to idealized appearances, achievements or lifestyles may encourage negative comparisons involving appearance, popularity or personal success.
Research suggests that social comparison may be one factor connecting certain patterns of social media use with poorer mental health outcomes. However, the effects can be significantly different between adolescents.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a form of emotional bullying that occurs online through devices such as phones, computers, and gaming consoles. This abuse is meant to humiliate, embarrass, or discourage others by sharing personal or private information.
Cyberbullying can take many forms, including:
- Personal attacks
- Harassment
- Discriminatory behavior
- Defamatory information
- Misrepresenting oneself online
- Private information
- Social exclusion
- Cyberstalking
Depression and Anxiety
Studies have found associations between some patterns of social media use and symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents. However, researchers have not established that social media use alone causes these conditions.
The relationship can work in multiple directions. For example, adolescents experiencing loneliness, anxiety or depression may use social media differently from their peers. Certain online experiences, such as negative social comparison, cyberbullying or sleep disruption, may also affect well-being.
Sleep Disruption
Frequent or late-night social media use may also interfere with sleep. Notifications, prolonged scrolling and using devices late at night can make it more difficult for some teens to maintain healthy sleep habits.
Sleep is an important part of adolescent physical and mental health. Parents may want to consider whether social media use is interfering with a teen's bedtime, sleep quality or ability to function during the day.
Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content
Researchers and public health officials have also raised concerns about young people's exposure to content involving self-harm and suicide. The U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on social media and youth mental health identifies exposure to harmful content as one area requiring more safeguards and research.
Parents and caregivers who notice significant changes in a young person's mood, behavior or well-being should take those concerns seriously and consider seeking support from a qualified health professional.
Can Social Media Benefit Teenagers?
Social media is not harmful to every teenager or in every circumstance. For some young people, online communities can provide social connection, opportunities for self-expression and access to supportive or identity-affirming communities.
The effects of social media can depend on factors such as the content a teen encounters, how platforms are used and the individual's circumstances. This is one reason researchers caution against treating all social media use as having the same effect on every adolescent.
We Care and We Can Help
Lawsuits against major social media companies have alleged that certain platform features contributed to compulsive use and serious mental health harms among children and teens. Whether a family may have a legal claim depends on the circumstances, including the harm a child experienced and the evidence connecting that harm to social media use.
Parents whose child experienced serious mental health consequences that may be connected to social media can learn more about social media lawsuits involving teen mental health. Speaking with an attorney can also help families understand whether legal options may be available.
