The Negative Effects of Social Media on Teens
The potential risks and consequences of social media that parents of teens should know…
These days, it's difficult for any teenager to fathom their life without social media. TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram… these various social media channels (and the ones to come) have become the primary way that teens communicate.
It may not be surprising that Canadians under the age of 30 are more advanced users of the internet compared to older generations and younger people are also more likely than their older counterparts to use use social media and engage in more activities on these platforms. However, according to Statistics Canada, this usage has been related to negative outcomes that place youth and young people at increased risk.
Let’s take a closer look at the negative effects of social media on teens.
Screen time is causing vision problems.
Children are increasingly learning to use technology before they can even talk, walk or read and by the time they reach their adolescence, that screen time is starting to impact their vision.
Nearsightedness and digital eye strain are skyrocketing and researchers report that too much screen time and not enough sunlight are the key culprits. Digital eye strain is leading to blurred vision, difficulty focusing, headaches, sensitivity to light and dry eyes; risking serious eye damage with consequences to their development.
Frequent use of social media is reshaping how adolescents’ brains develop.
A study found that youth who habitually check their social media platforms are more likely to be sensitive to “general rewards and punishments.” The brains of these youth are changing in a way that is becoming more and more sensitive to social feedback. The more time spent receiving this ‘social feedback’ will set the stage for how the brains of these teens continue to develop into adulthood.
It’s not clear how these neural changes will result in behavioural changes as teens mature into adults - like increased anxiety or addictive behaviours - but we do know that adolescent brains are going through the most development and reorganization, making them more susceptible to developing long-term habits.
Experts already report that using tech devices is a form of a ‘digital drug’. For example, winning a video game releases dopamine which is the ‘feel good’ release in the brain that forms addictions. Brain imaging shows screen technologies and cocaine affect the brain’s frontal cortex in the same way - and this can lead to compulsive and erratic behaviours.
The average teen spends most of their time online.
Did you know that globally, Gen Z averages around 9 hours of screen time per day?
While this time includes online learning, this figure suggests that the average teen spends up to 40% of their waking hours on an internet-connected screen and around 7 hours and 22 minutes per day on their phone. Even tweens use their smartphones too much at 4 hours and 44 minutes per day despite the fact that the recommended screen time is set at no more than two hours max.
As far as social media is concerned, youth between the ages of 16-24 spend on average 3 hours and 1 minute per day browsing social media.
By 2022, a poll from Pew Research Center found that 95% of teens said they use some social media, and about a third say they use it constantly.
That’s time that was previously spent engaging in (in-person) relationships and on healthier activities such as hobbies, sports and sleep.
Screen usage has cut into valuable sleep time.
It’s not surprising that all of this screen-time has cut into kids’ sleep time. In fact, between 2010 and 2021, the percentage of 10 to 12th graders who slept fewer than 7 hours each night rose from one-third to nearly one-half.
Adolescents in this age group require 9 hours of sleep so, on it’s own sleep deprivation can cause issues for physical and mental health. In fact, not getting enough sleep is a major risk factor for anxiety, depression and self-harm.
One-quarter of teens experience cyberbullying.
Did you know that in 2019, Statistics Canada reported that one in four teens (25%) aged 12 to 17 reported experiencing cyberbullying. Being threatened or insulted online or by text messages was the most common form, at 16%. This was followed by being excluded from an online community (13%) and having hurtful information posted on the internet (9%).
Among those aged 12 to 17, rates of cyberbullying increased with age, rising from 20% at age 12 to 27% by age 17. This perhaps reflects an increased use of the internet, and specifically social media usage with age. The largest increase in cyberbullying prevalence related to being threatened or insulted online or by text messages (from 11% at age 12 to 19% at age 17).
It is also important to note that women and young adults (aged 18-29) are most often the target of cybervictimization with the most common being receiving unwanted sexually suggestive or explicit images or messages (15%) and aggressive or threatening emails, social media or text messages (13%).
Young women were more often the target of the online abuse, with a prevalence almost double the rate for young men (32% versus 17%). This gender difference was even more pronounced for receiving unwanted sexually suggestive or explicit material, where young women were almost three times as likely to be targeted (22% versus 8%).
Social media usage is linked to higher rates of loneliness, anxiety and depression.
Across the board, since 2010, rates of loneliness, anxiety and depression in teens has increased including emergency room visits for self-harm, suicide attempts and completed suicides. And these rates happen to coincide with the launch of the smartphones in our daily lives and beginning of social media app engagement.
In fact, there have been a number of research studies released in the last several years that can definitively “indicate that social media does indeed have detrimental effects on mental health, particularly on the mental health of young adults.”
In 2021, 42% of high school students said they had stopped engaging in their customary activities because they had felt depressed or hopeless nearly every day for at least two weeks.
There was actually a study on the impact of Facebook on mental health on college students. This team tracked and measured how students’ mental health shifted on a campus when students spent time on social media — in this case, Facebook.
The results showed that almost immediately after Facebook arrived on campus, an increase in mental health issues that students reported. In fact, Facebook caused 2% of college students to become clinically depressed which equates to more than 300,000 young adults suffering from depression.
Social media usage is linked to higher rates of body image issues in teens - particularly girls.
More than 3 in 5 teen girls reported experiencing chronic sorrow, an increase of more than 60% since 2011. Social media has created a “perfect storm” for girls as their tendency to be “perfect” and hard on themselves during the tween and teen years is magnified 1000x in the online culture of comparison. The trouble with these comparisons are that impressionable girls are looking at “idealized” and unrealistic portrayals of beauty being marketed by brands, corporations and their influencers.
For teenagers - particularly girls - peer approval is quite important. Many of them worry about their reputation just as much as candidates for public office, and it can seem just as important to them. In addition, kids today can actually receive instant feedback on how much people like them or how they look via things like "likes." Anyone's head would turn at that. Teens therefore spend hours modifying their online personas in an effort to provide a perfect image. Teen girls agonize over selecting photos to upload online as they sort through hundreds of selfies and poor self-esteem is frequently to fault.
The strain is only increased when teens read through their feeds and see how wonderful everyone else appears to be. We're used to fretting about the unrealistic aspirations that photoshopped or filtered models offer to our children. But what happens when the girl next door is also photoshopped and using filters? Imagine having your deepest darkest fear be that you aren’t as good as you look, and then imagine needing to look that good all the time! It’s exhausting.
Social media addiction is real.
How do you know if your teen is addicted to social media?
They are pre-occupied with online life and prefer to be online than being around real, live friends and family
When they are offline, the remain pre-occupied with getting back online
They check their social media and post frequently throughout the day
They sacrifice doing homework or household chores for being on social media
They form more new bonds with people they meet on social media than they do in-person
They have lost all interest in activities they previously enjoyed before becoming obsessed with being online
What can parents do?
All the experts agree that the best thing parents can do to minimize the harmful effects of social media (and excessive screen time) is to reduce their own consumption first.
As parents, it’s up to set a good example of what healthy technology usage looks like. How can we expect our kids to reduce their time online when we emulate excessive ourselves?
For example, how many time do you check your phone, email, texts, and social media per day? It is necessary or a habit? If you walk in the door after work, do your kids see your face or the top of your head bent over a screen? In the morning, are you checking your emails as your teen eats breakfast?
If we want our kids to limit the amount of time they spend on their phones or plugged into a computer, we must provide a healthy contrast to this tech-obsessed world.
Here’s are some tips:
Talk to your kids about social media’s negative impacts on them
Set technology-free hours when no one in the family uses their phone or is online
Create spaces that are free from screens (no phones in bedrooms for example)
Set specific boundaries, monitor their usage and make sure to act on the consequences of misuse
Get your child involved in something online that they are interested in like sports, music, volunteering, art, etc.
Help your teen approach technology mindfully
Consider these great references from Common Sense Media:
What Are Some Basic Social Media Rules for High Schoolers
Raising a teenager is hard, but being a teen these days is much harder.
The numbers are staggering… 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence with an estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada being affected by mental illness. Young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience metal illness and substance use disorders than any other age group and, after accidents, suicide is the second leading cause of death.
Adolescents can develop the same mental health conditions as adults, but their symptoms may be difficult and hard for parents to identify. Normal adolescent development is a process that involves continual change and they may not be able to explain how they feel or why they are behaving in a certain way. Understanding how to recognize the warning signs of mental health challenges in adolescents is the first step.
If you think that social media is negatively impacting your teen, trust your gut. You know your child. Whether your teen needs help navigating normal developmental challenges or is dealing with something more serious, therapy may be a good option for them and ultimately your family.
Whatever it is, we’re here for you.
Life is uncertain. Jobs are stressful. Parenting is hard. Relationships take work. Families can be dysfunctional. And, sometimes love hurts. When you’re confronted by feelings, events, or issues that are making your life challenging, it’s okay to ask for some help.
