Kids today are growing up in a world where digital platforms and social media are woven into nearly every part of daily life, from sharing silly moments with friends to keeping up with the latest trends. For many parents, it can feel like a constant balancing act between giving kids room to explore and worrying about what they might encounter online. As social media becomes a bigger part of childhood and adolescence, understanding its impact and how to guide kids through it has never been more important.
Young kids and teens are going through an important developmental period during adolescence, and studies have shown that frequent social media use may impact emotional learning, emotional regulation, impulse control, and more. There is evidence that social media use can have a negative impact on mental health, but it can also be hugely beneficial, especially for kids who have trouble building social bonds in more conventional ways.
As your children grow older and start exploring the physical and digital worlds, you might be left wondering whether to allow social media and, if so, how much access to allow. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, consider these pros and cons of social media use for teens and find the right balance for you and your family.
The Benefits of Social Media for Teens
Almost as soon as social platforms emerged, people began sounding the alarm. While there are plenty of things to be concerned about (more on those below), social media also has legitimate benefits.
Staying Connected With Community
Kids who are part of positive online communities typically feel more accepted, more supported, have more opportunities for creativity, and feel more connected than they otherwise would. Those are all good things. This form of connection can be especially helpful for marginalized people, kids who are members of racial minorities, religious minorities, LGBTQIA+ youth, etc. Kids who grew up with technology use the internet as a form of social connection, to connect with their IRL (in real life) friends and make new friends with similar interests from anywhere in the world.
Learning Opportunities
The internet also provides context and information that kids may not have access to at home or at school. In many cases, online spaces are the primary way modern kids explore and express themselves, and feel as though they’re not alone.
The internet provides quick access to a wealth of information useful for school and employment opportunities. Kids can learn new skills from 3D design to woodcarving and everything in between. They can create businesses and market themselves on social media, and establish an identity the same way they would in non-virtual spaces. And that’s not to mention that the majority of real-world activities are advertised and facilitated mostly through smartphones and the internet. Not only can social networking be useful, but it is also often required if you want to move conveniently through the modern world.
Creative Expression
Social media offers kids a unique space to explore and share their creativity. Whether they’re experimenting with photography, making short videos, trying out digital art, or writing captions that reflect their thoughts and humor, these platforms let them express who they are in fun and meaningful ways. Over time, this kind of creative play can strengthen important skills, like storytelling, visual design, problem-solving, and even basic tech literacy. For many kids, seeing positive feedback from friends or finding peers who share similar interests can also boost confidence and help them feel more comfortable embracing their own voice.
The Dangers of Social Media for Kids
All of those benefits, however, come with a cost, and it’s not just kids. In 2023, approximately 4.9 billion people (more than half the world population) were regularly using at least one social networking site. The harms of excessive social media use can impact anyone, adults included, but kids are at a higher risk.
Algorithms Can Feed and Fuel Addiction
Social media algorithms are designed to keep you glued to your phone and on the platform for as long as possible. Algorithms are designed to self-reinforce and quickly learn about users to feed them information on what they are interested in. Many of us have made an online purchase, only to receive endless advertisements for the same thing. The same thing happens on social media apps, and kids can get pulled into bubbles that reinforce negative mental states or behaviors. The endless feed overstimulates the brain’s reward system, triggering behaviors similar to addiction, negatively impacting sleep and attention while increasing feelings of isolation.
Exposure to Inappropriate or Harmful Content
Social media and the internet at large also give kids access to the entire world of content, including things that are not age or developmentally appropriate. Everything from extreme content to viral online challenges can affect your child’s physical and mental well-being. Constant exposure to unattainable physical ideals, for example, can lead to eating disorders. That’s especially true in the age of Photoshop and generative AI.
Increased Risk of Anxiety and Low Self-Esteem
Even if your child isn’t exposed to anything harmful online, excessive social media use can disrupt healthy behaviors. Constant comparison, pressure to look “perfect,” and the need for likes or validation can take a toll on kids’ emotional well-being. Even harmless scrolling can leave them feeling left out, insecure, or anxious.
Social Media and Mental Health
Whether social media use is good or bad depends on how much time kids spend online, the types of content they’re exposed to, and how much it negatively affects other activities. Kids who use social media more than three hours per day have roughly twice the risk of negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Studies also suggest that young girls and kids with pre-existing mental health conditions may be at higher risk.
A vast majority of kids (about 95 percent) aged 13 to 17 self-reported using social media, and about a third of those reported using it almost constantly. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat offer a constant stream of video content. Worse, that content is often incredibly short-form, lasting minutes or seconds before moving on to the next clip. It fosters rapid sensation seeking instead of a more intentional experience of a novel, movie, or a longer narrative form.
During adolescence, the limbic system (the brain’s reward center) is operating at full capacity, while the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and decision making) won’t be developed until between the ages of 21 and 25. Kids are basically primed to be pulled in by the rewards of social media without fully considering the consequences.
Social Media Anxiety
In a world where likes, comments, and constant updates are part of everyday life, it’s no surprise that many kids feel overwhelmed by the pressure of staying connected. What starts as a fun way to share moments with friends can quickly become a source of worry, especially for growing minds still learning how to navigate emotions and relationships.
During adolescence, the regions of your brain associated with attention and feedback are going through a major overhaul. Kids are the perfect targets for developing unhealthy internet habits. During this period, it’s up to parents and caregivers to put up guardrails and help them find balance and confidence online.
Set limits: Be aware of how much time your child is spending on social media and step in when needed. Keep the bedroom device free. There’s a relationship between social media use and poor sleep habits. Many teens stay up on their phones until midnight or later, leading to less sleep and poorer quality sleep. Try turning off phones an hour or two before bedtime and leaving them in a designated spot out of the bedroom when it’s time to sleep.
Open communication: Parents are often tempted to use a surveillance approach to the internet, setting up internet nanny software to block certain sites and alert you if your child visits or searches for inappropriate content. Rather than taking a punitive approach, many experts recommend allowing your children to explore and make mistakes. Talk with them about how social media use impacts their life, in both good and bad ways. That way, you can come to decisions together about the right uses and limitations.
Encourage open communication about everything, not just the internet. That way, when your child has a question, especially about something uncomfortable, they’ll come to you instead of looking for answers online. They’ll also know that if they ever experience something online that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe, whether a piece of content or contact from a stranger, they can come to you about it.
Model good internet habits: Set a good example. When it comes to internet use, what’s good for kids is good for adults too. You should model good internet habits and appropriate limits, so kids can see what a healthy relationship to social media looks like. Spend some time offline, read a book, paint something, bake some cookies, or go for a walk. These are all good reminders for your child that there’s a whole world waiting for them beyond their phone.
SOURCES:
American Psychological Association
