Amanda Lenhart
Head of Research, Common Sense
Social Media Use Has Upsides and Downsides for Youth Mental Health
Our new study shows how diverse communities of 14-22 year-olds think about the relationship between social media and mental health.
Social media continues to bring both benefits and costs for young people when it comes to supporting their mental health and well-being. Amid the ongoing focus on improving the mental health of young people, social media's growing influence remains a key concern for families, schools, and communities.
Our new report, "A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health," released in partnership with Hopelab, explores the influence of social media experiences on mental well-being. Our findings show that young people's experiences with social media vary based on many factors, including an individual's lived experience, racial-ethnic identity, age, and sexual and gender identity.
This is the third report in a series begun in 2018 that has been tracking the role of social media in how young people age 14–22 support their mental health and well-being. Uniquely, this study was co-created with young people themselves, who not only provided direction and input regarding survey content, but also worked with the study team to prioritize and interpret results through focus groups and individual interviews.
Young people bring their own unique lived experiences to social media spaces, and as a result, have different experiences with the content and communities they find there—and those experiences are a decidedly mixed bag as an LGBTQ+ youth, a young person of color, or a young person who has symptoms of depression.
Here are a few of the contrasting realities around social media that our study reveals:
Frequent social media use continues to be widespread, and it can be both supportive and challenging for young people.
Upside: Young people turn to these digital technologies for emotional support, connection, and to learn about ways to support their mental health and well-being. Many join communities that are challenging to find locally (especially for Black and LGBTQ+ youth). Others use social media to just decompress and have fun.
Downside: Young people also encounter enough potentially harmful content that they must actively take steps to manage their exposure to it, including taking temporary and permanent breaks from a social media account.
- 53% of young adults say they can't control their social media use or use it longer than intended, compared to 42% of teens. But 81% of young adults and 68% of teens say they enact strategies to avoid content they dislike.
Young people of color and LGBTQ+ youth have more to gain and lose on social media than their peers.
Upside: Black youth find social media incredibly important for connection, creativity, community, support, and professional resources—more so than White youth. For LGBTQ+ young people, it helps them combat feelings of loneliness and connects them with content that validates their identities.
Downside: For many LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color, the same spaces that provide affirmation and support can also expose them to harassment and potential harm.
- 74% of LGBTQ+ social media users say social media is important in helping them feel less alone. But 72% of LGBTQ+ young people feel that posting content to public accounts would open themselves to harassment.
While depression levels have improved since the peak of the pandemic, they're still too high among young people. Social media has an especially heightened impact on youth with depressive symptoms—in good and bad ways.
Upside: Young people with depressive symptoms more often report that social media helps them cheer up, feel less alone, or find support and advice.
Downside: Youth who report depressive symptoms more often say they have a host of concerns connected to social media, including worries about self-presentation and harassment.
- 78% of young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms say that social media is important for cheering them up. But 64% of those with moderate to severe symptoms indicate that when they use social media, they feel as if others' lives are better than theirs, compared to 38% of those with no symptoms.
Young people need more support and industry action to make social media a safe space.
Our study shows that teens and young adults are taking steps to limit and manage negative exposure to social media, but they shouldn't have to do this alone. Everyone in communities, schools, families, and tech spaces can do their part to ensure that social media is a safe, supportive, and healthy place for young people.
We need more research and public understanding of the specific challenges that groups like youth with depressive symptoms, youth of color, and LGBTQ+ young people face with social media. We also need more public education for families, schools, teens, and beyond on how to manage the challenges that social media presents, without diminishing the benefits.
We also need action from companies and policymakers. Social media companies must change their design features and algorithms and put more guardrails in and around their products to limit harm and make it easier for young people to manage their use effectively. If companies are hesitant or refuse to make these changes on their own, then it is imperative that policymakers step up and enact evidence-based state and federal legislation informed by the experiences of young people.
Amy Green, PhD, head of research at Hopelab, is a co-author of this article.
Additional authors on "A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health" include Mary Madden, Angela Calvin, and Alexa Hasse.
Social media continues to bring both benefits and costs for young people when it comes to supporting their mental health and well-being. Amid the ongoing focus on improving the mental health of young people, social media's growing influence remains a key concern for families, schools, and communities.
Our new report, "A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health," released in partnership with Hopelab, explores the influence of social media experiences on mental well-being. Our findings show that young people's experiences with social media vary based on many factors, including an individual's lived experience, racial-ethnic identity, age, and sexual and gender identity.
This is the third report in a series begun in 2018 that has been tracking the role of social media in how young people age 14–22 support their mental health and well-being. Uniquely, this study was co-created with young people themselves, who not only provided direction and input regarding survey content, but also worked with the study team to prioritize and interpret results through focus groups and individual interviews.
Young people bring their own unique lived experiences to social media spaces, and as a result, have different experiences with the content and communities they find there—and those experiences are a decidedly mixed bag as an LGBTQ+ youth, a young person of color, or a young person who has symptoms of depression.
Here are a few of the contrasting realities around social media that our study reveals:
Frequent social media use continues to be widespread, and it can be both supportive and challenging for young people.
Upside: Young people turn to these digital technologies for emotional support, connection, and to learn about ways to support their mental health and well-being. Many join communities that are challenging to find locally (especially for Black and LGBTQ+ youth). Others use social media to just decompress and have fun.
Downside: Young people also encounter enough potentially harmful content that they must actively take steps to manage their exposure to it, including taking temporary and permanent breaks from a social media account.
- 53% of young adults say they can't control their social media use or use it longer than intended, compared to 42% of teens. But 81% of young adults and 68% of teens say they enact strategies to avoid content they dislike.
Young people of color and LGBTQ+ youth have more to gain and lose on social media than their peers.
Upside: Black youth find social media incredibly important for connection, creativity, community, support, and professional resources—more so than White youth. For LGBTQ+ young people, it helps them combat feelings of loneliness and connects them with content that validates their identities.
Downside: For many LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color, the same spaces that provide affirmation and support can also expose them to harassment and potential harm.
- 74% of LGBTQ+ social media users say social media is important in helping them feel less alone. But 72% of LGBTQ+ young people feel that posting content to public accounts would open themselves to harassment.
While depression levels have improved since the peak of the pandemic, they're still too high among young people. Social media has an especially heightened impact on youth with depressive symptoms—in good and bad ways.
Upside: Young people with depressive symptoms more often report that social media helps them cheer up, feel less alone, or find support and advice.
Downside: Youth who report depressive symptoms more often say they have a host of concerns connected to social media, including worries about self-presentation and harassment.
- 78% of young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms say that social media is important for cheering them up. But 64% of those with moderate to severe symptoms indicate that when they use social media, they feel as if others' lives are better than theirs, compared to 38% of those with no symptoms.
Young people need more support and industry action to make social media a safe space.
Our study shows that teens and young adults are taking steps to limit and manage negative exposure to social media, but they shouldn't have to do this alone. Everyone in communities, schools, families, and tech spaces can do their part to ensure that social media is a safe, supportive, and healthy place for young people.
We need more research and public understanding of the specific challenges that groups like youth with depressive symptoms, youth of color, and LGBTQ+ young people face with social media. We also need more public education for families, schools, teens, and beyond on how to manage the challenges that social media presents, without diminishing the benefits.
We also need action from companies and policymakers. Social media companies must change their design features and algorithms and put more guardrails in and around their products to limit harm and make it easier for young people to manage their use effectively. If companies are hesitant or refuse to make these changes on their own, then it is imperative that policymakers step up and enact evidence-based state and federal legislation informed by the experiences of young people.
Amy Green, PhD, head of research at Hopelab, is a co-author of this article.
Additional authors on "A Double-Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think About the Multifaceted Relationship Between Social Media and Mental Health" include Mary Madden, Angela Calvin, and Alexa Hasse.
Amanda Lenhart leads research efforts at Common Sense Media. She has spent her career studying how technology affects human lives, with a special focus on families and children. Most recently, as the program director for Health and Data at Data & Society Research Institute, Amanda investigated how social media platforms design for the digital well-being of youth. She began her career at the Pew Research Center, pioneering the Center’s work studying how teens and families use social and mobile technologies.