negative effects of social media on teenagers

Depression rates begin to increase after an hour of social media use a day, but the curve is usually more shallow for other types of screen time, with higher depression rates only appearing after three or four hours a day of use.

Screen time in general (TV, gaming, texting) is also linked to depression, but not as strongly. Facebook’s own research found that using Instagram led to body image issues for many teen girls. Twenge: Among teens, heavy users of social media (five-plus hours a day) are twice as likely to be depressed as non-users. You’ve indicated in past research that social media use in teens is more harmful than screen time alone, what are some of your key findings? NewsCenter’s Susanne Clara Bard asked Twenge how social media affects young people and what parents can do about it. Twenge is the author of iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy - and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge studies the effects of social media on the well-being of teens and young adults who are part of a generation that has never known a world without smartphones. In his State of the Union address on March 1, 2022, President Joe Biden called for tougher restrictions on tech companies in order to protect kids from the harms of social media and to safeguard their privacy. SDSU professor of psychology Jean Twenge says not all screen time is created equal.

Negative effects of social media on teenagers