Social Media & Teens: What the Latest Research Means for Families and Youth

Social media is a big part of most teens’ lives these days—and while it brings connection, creativity, and community, recent research also highlights some important mental-health cautions. Below is a breakdown of what the science shows, how to talk with your teen about it, and steps you can take at home to help ensure social media is working for them, not against them.

What the Research Says (and What It Doesn’t)

Here are some key findings from recent studies about teens, social media use, and mental health:

1. Widespread use + rising awareness of risks

• Up to 95% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 report using social media platforms.

• The latest data show that nearly 48% of teens say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age—up from ~32% just a couple of years ago.

• Parents are also highly concerned: among parents who are worried about teen mental health, 44% name social media as the biggest negative influence.

2. Associations with mental health: what is known

• A recent large longitudinal study found that increases in social media time in early adolescence (ages ~9-10 to ~13) were associated with increases in depressive symptoms one year later. (Important: the study shows correlation, not proof of causation.)

• According to the Vivek Murthy Advisory (U.S. Surgeon General), teens who spend more than ~3 hours per day on social media may face double the risk of internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression/anxiety) compared to those who use less.

• Sleep disruption, poorer body image, and feelings of exclusion (“I’m missing out”) are documented correlates of high social media engagement.

3. Complexity—It’s not just how much, but how & why

• Researchers emphasize there is no one single “safe” number of hours; rather, it depends on individual context (age, developmental stage, underlying vulnerabilities, what other activities are being replaced).

• Social media is not uniformly harmful. It also offers benefits: peer connection, identity exploration, access to support and information—especially for marginalized teens.

• The key risk factors appear when social media use:

  • replaces real-life protective activities (sleep, physical activity, in‐person friendships)

  • involves compulsive/“problematic” pattern (loss of control, distress when offline)

  • includes harmful content or interactions (cyberbullying, appearance comparisons)

What this Means for Teens & Families

At CARE Counseling, Inc., we use this research to inform how we talk with teens and families about healthy social-media habits. Here are things worth discussing:

Talk with your teen about:

• Purpose: “What am I doing on social media? Relaxing, connecting, escaping, comparing?”

• Mood changes: “How do I feel after scrolling? Energized? Drained? Worse about myself?”

• Replacement: “Is social media crowding out sleep, homework, physical activity, face-to-face time?”

• Boundaries: “Where, when, and how long do I use it? What happens when I don’t use it?”

• Content: “Am I engaging in content that makes me feel good, curious, supported? Or content that makes me feel bad, small, anxious, excluded?”

Guidance for Parents/Caregivers:

• Model healthy habits: have device-free times/zones (e.g., before bed).

• Work together to create a “media plan”: times, places, alternative activities. The American Academy of Pediatrics and Surgeon General both highlight this strategy. HHS+1

• Talk open-endedly and non-judgmentally: rather than “How many hours are you on TikTok?”, try “What draws you into TikTok? What makes it hard to step away?”

• Monitor signs of distress: changes in mood, sleep, grades, behavior. If social media use seems tightly bound to these changes, it may be time for professional support.

Practical Tips to Support Healthy Use

Here are actionable steps to keep social media in balance and reinforce teen well-being:

1. Set a tech-free wind-down period before bed: research shows scrolling late at night affects sleep quality and emotional regulation. Yale Medicine+1

2. Encourage “active” rather than passive use: e.g., creating content, messaging friends, learning a skill—rather than just endlessly scrolling.

3. Alternate with real-life activities: For example: “After 30 minutes of social media, do 10 minutes of movement, or chat face-to-face with someone.”

4. Teach media-literacy: Talk about what content is designed to do (algorithms want clicks), discuss filters, curated images, highlight that what they see isn't always “real life.”

5. Highlight strengths and values offline: Balance the focus on “likes” and online feedback with real-world achievements, hobbies, interests, and relationships.

6. If needed: co-create a plan with a counselor: If social media use is tied tightly to anxiety, mood issues, or self-worth struggles, professional guidance can help unpack underlying issues and build healthy habits.

Why We At CARE Counseling Focus Here

Because teens today are growing up in a digital environment very different from previous generations, our therapeutic approach includes:

• Recognizing social media use as part of the client’s ecosystem—not simply a “bad habit” to eradicate.

• Exploring what the teen does online, how they feel doing it, and what it might replace—rather than just “How many hours?”

• Building skills for self-regulation, digital self‐compassion, and resilience in the face of comparisons, content overload, and online pressure.

• Partnering with families to develop realistic, developmentally appropriate boundaries and support—rather than sweeping bans or shame.

Final Thoughts

Social media is neither inherently good nor bad. For teens, it can be a space of creative expression, friendship, and learning—but also a place of comparison, pressure, and emotional risk. The latest research invites us to move away from “screen time war” toward purposeful, mindful, balanced digital use.

If you or your teen are feeling that social media is more burden than benefit—affecting mood, identity, sleep, or relationships—please know you’re not alone. At CARE Counseling, Inc., we’re here to offer compassionate, evidence-informed support. Together we can build healthier digital habits, strengthen real-world connections, and help your teen navigate the online world with resilience and self-respect.