***Updated July 2024****
“So instead of asking, does social media use cause mental health issues? perhaps a better question might be: why do some people prosper online while others get into real difficulty?” – Dr. Pete Etchells
We love reading academic research, which for most parents and caregivers is like watching paint dry. However, we believe that the research mentioned in this posting is important. It helps to balance the misrepresented narrative that some are claiming when it comes to the use of social media and technology by youth. We believe that it is particularly crucial for parents and caregivers to comprehend both the advantages and drawbacks of social media and technology, especially when it comes to the mental health of young people.
Plain and simple, research on the relationship between social media, technology, and mental health is inconsistent (1). While some research suggests a correlation between social media usage and negative mental health outcomes, there is an equal number of correlational studies that demonstrate minimal to no correlation or causation.
Correlational studies examine the relationship between two variables without manipulating them. This method is often chosen because it might not be practical or ethical to control the variables. For instance, to determine if social media causes depression, it wouldn’t be right to make teens spend hours on social media daily just for research purposes.
Since these studies don’t control the variables, they can’t definitively show that one thing causes another. If a study finds a link between social media and depression, it could mean that social media leads to depression, that people who are depressed use social media more, or that another confounding factor is influencing both.
However, it can be argued that if many studies consistently find a strong link and there’s a reasonable explanation for why one thing might cause the other, we might conclude that one does cause the other.
Certainly, it’s important to recognize that under specific circumstances, and for certain individuals, social media might have harmful effects, but not for the majority of youth. Again, this is why Dr Etchells quote, “So instead of asking, does social media use cause mental health issues? perhaps a better question might be: why do some people prosper online while others get into real difficulty?” rings true!
It’s easy to fixate on social media and cellphones as the single root cause for the mental health struggles of young people today. However, it’s crucial to understand that adolescent development and mental well-being are a highly intricate and multifactorial process.
In a 2018 research paper (2), “The Longitudinal Association Between Social-Media Use and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents and Young Adults: An Empirical Reply to Twenge et al” found:
Results indicate that among both samples, social-media use did not predict depressive symptoms over time for males or females. However, greater depressive symptoms predicted more frequent social-media use only among adolescent girls. Thus, while it is often assumed that social-media use may lead to depressive symptoms, our results indicate that this assumption may be unwarranted.
In an October 2021 meta-analysis paper called “Screen media and mental health” (3) the researchers looked at 33 separate studies from 2015-2019 and reported:
“Across studies, evidence suggests that screen media plays little role in mental health concerns. In particular, there was no evidence that screen media contribute to suicidal ideation or other mental health outcomes. This result was also true when investigating smartphones or social media specifically. Overall, as has been the case for previous media such as video games, concerns about screen time and mental health are not based in reliable data.”
In a May 2021 Swedish longitudinal study (4), researchers followed 3,501 14-15-year-old girls for two years and found:
“We found between-person rather than within-person positive associations between social media use and symptoms of mental ill health. This suggests that social media use may serve as an indicator rather than a determinant of risk of mental health problems among adolescents.
In a 2019 Canadian-based longitudinal study (5), that followed 594 adolescents for two years researchers found:
“…social-media use did not predict depressive symptoms over time for males or females. However, greater depressive symptoms predicted more frequent social-media use only among adolescent girls. Thus, while it is often assumed that social-media use may lead to depressive symptoms, our results indicate that this assumption may be unwarranted.”
In this large study (6) released in January 2022, researchers found:
“…. in our study integrated technology into their (teens) lives in ways that were not associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, or other poor health outcomes. Thus, the study findings indicate that most adolescents using technology do so in ways that do not lead to increased risk of negative health consequences.”
In a recent 2022 study from Cambridge University in Great Britain (7), researchers found that during COVID:
“Young people’s mental health tended to suffer most during the strictest periods of lockdown, when they were less likely to be able go to school or see friends. But those without access to a computer were the worst hit – their mental health suffered much more than their peers and the change was more dramatic.”
Dr. Amy Orben from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences at the University of Cambridge, the study’s senior author, added:
“Rather than always focusing on the downsides of digital technology on young people’s mental health, we need to recognize that it can have important benefits and may act as a buffer for their mental health during times of acute social isolation, such as the lockdown.
In a further study published in August 2022 called “Disconnection More Problematic for Adolescent Self-Esteem Than Heavy Social Media Use” (8), researchers found:
“we find that a negative relationship between screen time and lower self-esteem is eclipsed by a more substantive, negative relationship to inequalities in material access to the Internet and restrictive mediation of media by parents. Findings show that new media use does not substantively displace time spent socializing with family and friends and in other social activities (e.g., volunteering). Omitting the supportive, indirect relationship between time on social media and self-esteem, through time spent socializing, exaggerates the negative relationship between social media use and adolescent well-being for girls, and for boys, misspecified the direction of the relationship. Adolescents, who experience heavy restrictive mediation of media by parents or have limited Internet access at home, tend to report substantively lower self-esteem than heavy users of any new media.”
In an April 2022 peer-reviewed research paper titled, “Time spent online and children’s self-reported life satisfaction in Norway: The socio-ecological perspective” (9) researchers found:
“We actually find the opposite, that is to say a positive correlation between the self-reported quality of life of adolescents and the amount of time they spend online,”
We think it is important to note that the researchers stated “association” not “causation”- this is an important distinction. The question that should be asked, “Is social media the primary source for mental wellness challenges, or is the use of social media a maladaptive coping strategy for underlying conditions such as depression or stress that can lead to problematic behaviour?” We believe that the most current research is showing the latter.
In this 2022 study (10), the researchers found:
“our study provides robust evidence that, at a time of elevated digital technology use and psychological distress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in digital technology use did not meaningfully contribute to fluctuations in psychological distress among young adults.”
In fact, some psychologists suggest that teenagers turn to social media in order to cope with negative emotions. (11)(37) Other researchers have found that when teenagers’ depression gets worse, it predicts the increased use of social media as a maladaptive coping mechanism (12)
In a 2021 research study by Common Sense Media, Hopelab, and the California Health Care Foundation called “Coping With Covid-19: How Young People Use Digital Media To Manage Their Mental Health” (13) they found the following:
- 43% of teens stated using social media made them feel better when depressed, stressed, or anxious.
- 40% stated that it made no difference in their mental health, and
- 17% stated social media made them feel worse
Of interest, the 17% identified in the above-noted research was very congruent with the study done in 2018 called “Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health: Findings From the UK Millennium Cohort Study” (14) that we mentioned earlier, which found a 15% increase in depressive symptoms amongst girls who use social media for an extended period of time.
Or what about the 2022 PEW research that found that the vast majority of teens say that social media have not had a mostly negative effect on them. (38)
Is It Possible That Age Can Have Developmental Sensitivity To Social Media Use & Life Satisfaction?
There is no doubt that early adolescence is a time of significant hormonal, neural, cognitive, and social shifts that might make social-media environments particularly alluring but also especially impactful on mental health. Studies show that adolescents, particularly those in early to mid-adolescence, place increased importance on being able to interact with their peers and on what their peers may think of them and therefore have a negative effect on “some”.
In a 2015 study, researchers found that children up to the age of 8yrs, only have a “limited or no perception of online risks: when it comes to the use of technology and the internet (15) This research strongly supports why youth this age should have no unsupervised access to technology, the internet, and social media.
A 2022 study headed by Dr. Amy Orben at Oxford University showed initial, non-causal, but suggestive evidence of developmental sensitivity to social media use. (16) In this study, the researchers found:
- Some Girls may experience a negative link at 11-13, boys when they are 14-15,
- Increased social media use might also affect life satisfaction at aged 19, but
- Adolescents with lower life satisfaction consistently use social media more.
The study actually found what is commonly known in psychology as the “Goldilocks Effect” – some people who use social media a lot tend to be unhappier, some people who never use it or use it very little also tend to be unhappier, and those who take a balanced and moderate approach tend to be the happiest.
After reading this study, we reached out to Dr. Andrew Przybylski via Twitter (one of the researchers in the study) and asked them:
“Was the type of social media use considered? In other words, did the research provide insight into what type of social media led to the decrease in life satisfaction in these age groups?”
Dr. Andrew Przybylski’s reply:
“Hi Darren, no, and the data were collected over a wide range of years so it’s also possible that the share of any given platform at any given age varied over the time span of data collection.”
We believe our question was important because it has been our anecdotal experience, having presented to over 600,000 teens, that youth under the age of 15 are primarily using social media as consumers as a way to socially interact with peers and others their age, whereas those over the age of 15 are using social media more as creators and producers.
In an article specific to this study (17) Dr. Orben stated:
“I wouldn’t say that there is a specific age group we should all be worried about. We should all be reflecting on our social media use and encouraging those conversations but we need to understand what is driving these changes across age groups and between genders. There are very large individual differences, so there may be certain teenagers that benefit from their use of social media whilst at the same time, someone else is harmed.”
Dr. Przybylski, another researcher in the study stated:
“This doesn’t constitute advice to parents that their children should abstain from social media,” says Przybylski. “It’s clear from the data that abstinence isn’t necessarily great, either.”
In a January 2022 study (18) “Does objectively-measured social media or smartphone use predict depression, anxiety, or social isolation among young adults?” researchers found two important takeaways:
#1 – “We found limited evidence that three distinct yet commonly-investigated aspects of digital technology use—smartphone use duration (“screen time”) and frequency (i.e., “pickups”), and social media use duration—exhibited meaningful prospective associations with three commonly-investigated aspects of psychological distress—depression, anxiety, and social isolation. By meaningful we are not strictly referring to statistical significance but also practical significance.”
#2 – “Our study provides robust evidence that, at a time of elevated digital technology use and psychological distress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in digital technology use did not meaningfully contribute to fluctuations in psychological distress among young adults.”
Another April 2022 study from Norway (19) surrounding teens and screen time found:
“Despite public discourses highlighting the negative consequences of time spent online (TSO) for children’s well-being, Norwegian children (aged 9–16 years) use the Internet more than other European children and score higher on self-reported life satisfaction (SRLS). To explore the possibility that TSO might contribute to high life satisfaction or other underlying explanatory factors, we investigate the relationship between TSO and SRLS in Norway while also accounting for how individual, family, school, and broader social circumstances influence this relationship. Countering prevailing discourses, we find a positive relationship between TSO and SRLS, which remains positive and significant even after a wider range of variables are accounted for. By explaining the circumstances under which TSO has a positive effect on SRLS, this article provides evidence of the complex role that digital technology plays in the lives of children. It also provides a critique of the often-simplistic arguments found in public discourses around children’s digital media use.”
As Niamh Ní Bhroin, one of the researchers, stated, “We actually find the opposite, that is to say, a positive correlation between the self-reported quality of life of adolescents and the amount of time they spend online,”
In another 2022 study that supports the above Norway study (20), the researchers found that the relationship between screen time and lower self-esteem is not as significant as the relationship between unequal access to the Internet and strict parental control over media usage. The study also indicated that social media usage does not replace the time spent with family and friends or participating in social activities like volunteering. Ignoring the indirect relationship between social media use and self-esteem, through increased social interaction, overstates the negative impact of social media on the well-being of girls and misinterprets the relationship for boys. Adolescents who have limited access to the Internet at home or face strict control from their parents tend to have lower self-esteem compared to heavy users of social media. Here’s a quote from the study:
“The tenuous claim that social media use or time spent on screens of various types is problematic for the psychological well-being of most adolescents is perpetuated through low-quality studies that fail adequately to explore the role of third variables and do not report the magnitude of effects. Perpetuating these missteps may do real harm to the very people reported to be at greatest risk. It is fantasy to wish new media away, because they are firmly baked into adolescents’ everyday lives. Helping adolescents manage their digital world rather than disconnecting them from it prepares them better for the future. Instructive mediation may be effective in reducing risk and supporting well-being. This approach helps adolescents recognize the risks of specific online activities, such as sexting, cyber-bullying, and social comparison, but it can also recognize the ever-present and often supportive role of new media in the lives of today’s youth. To maintain the myth that there is commonly substantive injury related to average or even heavy amounts of time spent online serves only to embolden a cycle of media reporting that stimulates a moral panic. This panic amplifies parental concerns about new media and gives voice to pundits, who harken for “the good old days” that were never so good anyway . It distracts from long-established cleavages that are clearly related to adolescent well-being, notably, as we have again found here, those related to gender and academic performance. Rhetoric claiming widespread harm from new media contributes to a “techlash” that may lead to bans and regulation of technologies that contribute to benefits in other domains, such as human and social capital . This does not imply that social media platforms are benign, but there is currently no coherent, consistent research supporting their widespread, damaging effects to adolescents.”
In a Aug 2022 study titled, “Effects of restricting social media usage on wellbeing and performance: A randomized control trial among students (21) found:
“Contrary to findings from previous correlational studies, we do not find any significant impact of social media usage as it was defined in our study on well-being and academic success.”
In a 2023 longitudinal study, a group of Norwegian children, aged 10, 12, 14, and 16 (total of 810 children), were asked questions about their social media usage. They underwent psychiatric interviews to assess symptoms of depression, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety. The collected data was analyzed using a statistical method called Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Modeling. The study found that the frequency of posting, liking, and commenting on social media had “NO” connection to future symptoms of depression and anxiety. This conclusion remains valid even when using highly reliable measures of depression and anxiety. (22)
**** Update November 2023 ****
#1: In a new Oxford University study of nearly 12,000 children in the United States, no evidence was found to show that screen time impacted their brain function or well-being. As one of the researchers stated “Our findings should help guide the heated debates about technology away from hyperbole and towards high-quality science. If researchers don’t improve their approach to studying tech, we’ll never learn what leads some young people to flounder and others to flourish in the digital age.” (23)
**** Update June 2024 ****
The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the largest long-term research project on brain development in the US, follows over a thousand children for four years. The study just reported out (June 6th, 2024) that individual digital media usage does not affect the development of cortex or striatum volumes. The striatum is particularly significant due to its role in reward processing. Therefore, there is no evidence that digital technologies drastically ‘rewire’ these brain structures. Overall, this study, with its extensive adolescent sample, suggests that digital technologies are not reshaping or rewiring the brain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11156852/ . However, the study did find that video game play is associated with larger cerebellum volume, aligning with other research indicating that video gaming can positively impact attention and cognition. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627319308335
#2: In an excellent researched and very balanced 2023 report published by the “National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (24) they found:
“The committee’s review of the literature presented did not support the conclusion that social media causes changes in adolescent health and the “population level”.
#3: In another 2023 peer-reviewed study “Global Well-Being and Mental Health in the Internet Age” (25) the researchers found:
“We show that the past 2 decades have seen only small and inconsistent changes in global well-being and mental health that are not suggestive of the idea that the adoption of Internet and mobile broadband is consistently linked to negative psychological outcomes.”
This study is further buttressed by this comprehensive 2024 study which delved into the global dynamics of internet access and its relationship with overall wellbeing. (26) Analyzing data from 2006 to 2021, involving a vast sample of over 2.4 million participants aged 15 and above, the findings have cast a light on this complex relationship. The results overwhelmingly indicate a positive correlation between internet connectivity and various dimensions of wellbeing. This research found 84.9% of these correlations were positive, 14.7% deemed statistically insignificant, with only 0.4% showing negative associations. While causation remains elusive, it’s notable that individuals with internet access reported 8.5% higher measures of life satisfaction. Despite this positive trend, and as mentioned, there were observations of negative associations 0.4%, particularly among “some” young women aged 15-24, concerning community wellbeing, mirroring previous findings on the link between social media use and depressive symptoms in this demographic. Overall, while vigilance regarding online activities remains essential, these findings underscore the potential of the internet to positively impact various aspects of wellbeing when utilized responsibly.
#4: In this 2023 peer-reviewed study “Social media behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A four-wave cohort study from age 10–16 years” (27) the researchers found:
When examining different social media behaviours in a birth cohort sample biennially assessed from age 10–16 years, measuring mental health problems with clinical interviews of multiple reporters, our within-person results revealed no prospective relations between social media use and symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders—in either direction. The role of social media in mental health is complex, and likely influenced by a range of factors, including specific social media behaviours and experiences, as well as individual differences in adolescents’ responses to use. Findings accord with the view that the frequency with which adolescents engage in behaviours like posting, liking, and commenting on others’ posts does not influence their risk for symptoms of depression and anxiety.
This research further supports Dr Pete Etchells statement that started this article, “So instead of asking, does social media use cause mental health issues? perhaps a better question might be: why do some people prosper online while others get into real difficulty?”
**** Update February 2024 ****
In a research article “Longitudinal Associations Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Outcomes in Sample of Irish Youth” (28) Dr Christopher Ferguson found:
“Outcomes included emotional problems, peer problems, and emotional stability at T3. Results indicated that early internet use and social media use were not associated with later mental health problems when controlling for other factors. These results do not support the belief that social media use is a predictor of later mental health problems in youth.”
Are there emotional, psychological, physical, and social challenges associated with online problematic behavior? Some of the newest research is showing us that digital affordance, through the use of algorithms used by some social media platforms, can undermine mental wellness thus increasing exposure to online harmful content for some youth who are already at risk. However, don’t believe some of the hype associated with social media, and its negative effects on mental wellness, as being “the” cause of this decline that is being pushed by some. (45)
As Dr. Sonia Livingstone stated (29),
“The relationship between digital life and mental health is best characterized by a complex mix of positive and negative influences varying over time both within and between individuals – conditioned and moderated by personal characteristics and cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors.”
Another interesting observation made by Dr Craig Sewall (Clinical Data Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine)
“If social media is a “clear” cause of adolescent mental illness, then how do you explain the fact that mental health has *improved* over the past 20 years among South Korean youth? A place where Social Media use is just as (or even more) ubiquitous than the US” (30)
An interesting observation that supports the fact that social media and cell phones are not likely the main cause for the increase in adolescent mental health in North America.
Again, we do believe that social media and technology can play both a positive and negative role in youth mental wellness in today’s onlife world. However, youth mental health is more nuanced and multifactorial than just pointing to social media and cell phones as the primary culprit. This was also echoed in a 2024 Stats Canada report “Digital well-being: the relationship between technology use, mental health and interpersonal relationships” where they stated (42):
“factors other than time spent online can contribute to the relationship between Internet use and mental health, such as the type of online activity, and the age, sex and gender of the user.“
Experts in the mental health field have identified various multifactorial challenges that can frequently contribute to depression or suicidal ideations among youth outside of technology (31). Some of these biological, social, and societal confounding challenges can include:
- Instability at school
- the increasing loss of independence
- Academic pressure
- Increase in school shootings and mass violence since 2007
- Increased family conflict, family separation, and divorce rates
- Domestic abuse
- Parent/caregiver Job Loss
- Increases in parental distress
- Sexualized violence
- Sexuality/orientation
- Increased rates of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and misogyny
- Increased rates of child abuse
- Relationship navigation
- Unstable housing / housing crisis
- Food insecurity for lower-income families
- Concerns about climate change
- The current climate of political polarization
- Household income level
- Increased levels of child poverty in North America
- Lack of prevention and early intervention treatment and counseling for youth mental health
- loss of outside play / and youth community engagement programs
- Inflation and the cost of living in the home
- Student debt
- Substance abuse
- The increased pace of change given the global economy
- Physical health problems/disabilities
- A youth’s psychosocial makeup
- Class dynamics – Indigenous people across the world, especially Indigenous youth higher rates of self-harm and suicide
- The emotional contagion effect
- Genetic predisposition/family history of mental health
- higher recognition and reporting of mental health challenges in youth than in the past
- Teens who have lost one or more caregivers, close family members, and close friends during COVID
Here’s an excellent article by Mike Nakes, Senior Researcher at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and YouthFacts.org, who also taught sociology and psychology at the University of California. He analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, examining information from over 7,000 adolescents to explore the various factors affecting the well-being of young people, with a particular focus on young women that supports the above noted bullet points (41)
**** Update September 2024 ****
A research article from Dr Craig J. R. Sewall and Douglas A. Parry (46) found:
“Many academics and pundits contend that social media use is the primary cause of an international youth mental health crisis. However, these claims often rely on correlational evidence, ignoring the confounding effects of developmental, environmental, social, and psychological factors that influence mental health. This oversimplifies the complex etiology of mental health problems.”
As Dr. Tyler Black (Medical Director of the CAPE Unit at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, Suicidologist, and specialist in Paediatric Emergency Psychiatry) stated in a tweet specific to youth suicide and suicidal ideations:
“2017 was lower than 2015, and 2019 is lower than 1999. The idea that media, social media, technology, or whatever else luddites hate is strongly correlated with increasing suicidal thinking in kids is ahistorical and dishonest.”
In fact, here’s some research that clearly shows that when it comes to teen suicide, the rates were much higher pre-social media and before smartphones were being used by teens:
Furthermore, how do we explain the decline in rates of youth anxiety and depression since 2005 in countries such as Korea, where the adoption and usage of cellphones among youth surpasses that of North American youth? (32) If cellphones are the main cause of anxiety and depression in youth, then why the difference? In fact, according to Dr Christopher Ferguson:
“Research evidence has found that multi-year patterns in teen social media use do not predict patterns in teen suicide. Add to this that teen suicides (but not older adult suicides) declined in 2022, and this suggests we’re on the wrong path. If social media were causing an increase in teen suicides or other mental health problems, we’d expect to see this pattern across countries that have high technology adoption. But we don’t. AcrossEurope as well as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, there is no pattern that indicates an increase in suicides among teens during the social media age.” (33)
Another contributing factor, teenage mental health wasn’t extensively measured when we were in middle school and high school, so it didn’t capture much attention in the media. However, today’s youth receive education on mental health in schools and are exposed to numerous public awareness campaigns. This change likely contributes to the rise in reported mental health issues. (40) More teenagers now accurately seek help, but some may also mislabel lower levels of distress as mental health problems, both of which increase the overall rates. Could it also be that education and screening changes today are revealing widespread teen mental health issues that were always there, or that another factor is to blame. We simply don’t know.
Our takeaway – the scientific research regarding the effects of cellphones, social media, and other online activities on adolescent mental health is inconsistent and often contradictory. Although certain studies may indicate a negative relationship between social media usage and well-being, other studies, as highlighted in this post, have shown no such correlation and have even demonstrated a positive impact. A reality that remains unchanged specific to social media, technology, and its effects on youth mental health – there is a range of opinions among researchers regarding the importance of these favourable or unfavourable outcomes (34)
Youth development and mental well-being are complex processes shaped by a myriad of biological, social, and societal factors, as detailed in this article. Simplifying the issue by solely attributing it to social media or cellphones overlooks this complexity. Enforcing a ban on social media or cellphones is unlikely to bring significant improvements; we believe it fosters a misleading sense of security and detracts attention from the underlying causes of youth mental health challenges. The escalating rates of mental health issues among young people highlight the urgent need for assistance, yet only a small minority can access specialized mental health services tailored to their age group, exacerbating existing disparities. Rather than creating policy or laws that prohibit the use of technology and cellphones by youth, legislative efforts should prioritize tackling these systemic issues to ensure all young individuals have equitable access to mental health support, rather than relying on smartphone or social media bans as a solution.
Yes, social media can incorporate certain features and algorythms aimed at capturing attention and retaining user engagement, like endless scrolling and push notifications, which can pose challenges for youth trying to disengage from technology. However, rather than resorting to a ban on social media and cellphones, we believe it’s more constructive to initiate a dialogue about these features and their impact through digital literacy and internet safety education.
As psychologist Dr Eiko Fried stated, “Instead of panic and reach measures that take away young people’s agency and opportunities, we must focus on addressing the many and multifaceted mental health challenges young people face that are not limited to social media” (43)
We continue to believe, based on “all” of the current research to date, that a well-balanced, and age-appropriate approach to technology that encourages youth agency, alongside parental modelling, communication, participation, and the monitoring of their child’s technology and online activity (35), offers more benefits than drawbacks for the vast majority of our youth online.
**** Update August 2024 ****
A recent study utilizing a method called ecological momentary assessment (EMA) provides a more nuanced perspective that pushes against this toxic narrative surrounding technology and teens. (44)
Ecological momentary assessment is a research technique that involves collecting data multiple times throughout the day in real-world settings. Instead of relying on participants to recall their phone usage and mood retrospectively, which can be inaccurate, EMA captures real-time data. This method involves participants completing many short surveys per day, providing insights into their activities, emotions, and interactions as they occur.
The study offers valuable insights into the relationship between teens’ phone use and their mood. By collecting data at various points throughout the day, researchers could pinpoint specific times when phone use occurred and the subsequent mood changes. Here are some key findings:
- The study found that the timing of phone use plays a crucial role in its impact on mood. For instance, using a phone to connect with friends after a stressful day at school can positively affect a teen’s mood, providing social support and relaxation. Conversely, using a phone late at night when teens should be sleeping can lead to increased stress and mood disturbances.
- The context in which phone use occurs also significantly influences its impact. Engaging in meaningful and supportive conversations with friends or family can boost mood and provide a sense of connection. On the other hand, exposure to negative content or cyberbullying can have detrimental effects.
- The findings challenge the blanket notion that phones are toxic. Instead, they highlight the importance of understanding the specific circumstances under which phone use is beneficial or harmful. This nuanced view allows parents to guide their teens towards healthier phone habits.
This study sheds light on the complexities of teens’ phone use and its impact on mood. By understanding the timing and context of phone use, parents can better support their teens in developing healthy digital habits. Remember, it’s not all bad, smartphones can be a valuable tool for connection and support when used mindfully. As stated in the conclusion of this study:
“this study found that adolescents report better moods when using their phones and report mood improvements during phone use. These findings are among the first to demonstrate that smartphones have reliable, short-term associations with adolescent mood. The observation that these associations is positive implies that adolescents might use smartphones for the purpose of mood management or mood modification.”
**** Update October 2024 ****
This new 2024 research (47) from Australia’s “Cognition and Emotion Research Group, School of Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia” found:
“The present study observed a positive though very small association between SMU (Social Media Use) and anxiety, while no such association was found for depression or stress. Additionally, this study challenges the assumption of a potential association between more SMU and impairments in attentional control, as it revealed a positive (albeit small) association between SMU and attentional control, contrary to initial expectations. Unlike other studies relying on self-report measures of SMU, there was minimal evidence supporting an association between SMU, either in a general context or for specific SNSs, with indicators of psychological well-being, and any associations observed were very small. Our findings align with other recent results from research that also employed objective measures of SMU. Collectively, these findings suggest that the link between SMU and indicators of psychological distress may be over-stated and speak to the importance of corroborating findings based on associations with self-reported indicators of SMU.”
It’s important to acknowledge that teenagers have always faced a myriad of challenges, regardless of the era. Emotional, psychological, physical, and social struggles are part of adolescence, and technology can both exacerbate and alleviate these challenges in different ways. Blaming specific technologies for all of our teens’ problems oversimplifies the issue and ignores the broader context of their lives.
An influential US based medical doctor recently stated, “One of the most important lessons I learned in medical school was that in an emergency, you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information. You assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.” This is why he believes that social media and phones should be banned given their clear and present mental health threat to all youth – this same doctor does not cite any of the studies mentioned in this article, not one! In a life-and-death situation where seconds matter, this approach makes sense. However, if it is not an urgent life-or-death scenario, shouldn’t we wait for the research to develop?
Recently, we read an article by Dr. Etchells, a highly respected researcher in the study of the emotional, psychological, physical, and emotional contraindications specific to youth, social media, and their use of technology.
Dr Etchells shared the following comments based on a conference he attended in London. The Keynote speaker, Dr. Ben Goldacre, shared that when a traumatic brain injury occurs, it can lead to brain swelling and increased intracranial pressure, which can be fatal. For years, corticosteroids were administered to reduce the swelling, as it seemed like the logical course of action. However, before the 2000s, there was no scientific evidence to support this practice, yet it was still used as a primary treatment because it made sense. In a groundbreaking 2005 study, researchers challenged the belief of this medical intervention. (39) The results were shocking — patients who received the steroids were more likely to die. The very treatment intended to save lives was actually causing more harm than good.
This study teaches us a valuable lesson. We must be humble enough to acknowledge uncertainty and admit when we don’t have the answers. Dr. Etchells aptly points out the danger of rushing to act without determining whether our actions are effective or even harmful. This mentality is not limited to medicine – it applies to many areas of life, including our approach to parenting and regulating social media and technology used by our kids.
As parents, caregiver, and educators, we must strive to make informed decisions based on evidence, rather than relying solely on emotion, intuition, assumptions, or popular books that promote technology is destroying today’s youth. We owe it to our children to take a step back, ask questions, and seek out credible research before jumping to conclusions or demanding solutions like legislation or policy development banning the use of social media and cellphones. There are no easy answers when it comes to mental health, and no one solution that will solve all our problems like banning cellphones or social media for all youth.
**** Update May 2024 ****
As Dr Amy Orben Stated in this 2024 research article “Mechanisms linking social media use to adolescent mental health vulnerability” (36)
“Indeed, if social media is a contributing factor to the current decline in adolescent mental health, as is commonly assumed, then it is important to identify and investigate mechanisms that are specifically tailored to the adolescent age range and make the case for why they matter. Without a thorough examination of these mechanisms and policy analysis to indicate whether they should be a priority to address, there is insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that social media is the primary — or even just an influential and important — driver of mental health declines. Researchers need to stop studying social media as monolithic and uniform, and instead study its features, affordances and outcomes by leveraging a range of methods including experiments, questionnaires, qualitative research and industry data. Ultimately, this comprehensive approach will enhance researchers’ ability to address the potential challenges that the digital era poses on adolescent mental health.”
We end with Dr Pete Etchells’s quote that began this article:
“So instead of asking, does social media use cause mental health issues? perhaps a better question might be: why do some people prosper online while others get into real difficulty?”
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
References:
(2) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167702618812727
(3) https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-98715-001
(4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X20304626
(5) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167702618812727
(6) https://pediatrics.jmir.org/2022/2/e35540
(8) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08944393221117466
(9) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448221082651
(10) https://psyarxiv.com/ucsh6/
(11) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33185488/
(12) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167702618812727
(14) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(18)30060-9/fulltext
(15) https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC93239
(16) https://www.amyorben.com/pdf/2022_OrbenEtAl_NC.pdf
(18) https://psyarxiv.com/ucsh6/
(19) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448221082651
(20) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08944393221117466
(21) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36001541/
(24) https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27396/social-media-and-adolescent-health
(25) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21677026231207791?icid=int.sj-full-text.citing-articles.4
(26) https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Preprint.pdf
(27) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563223002108
(29) https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.13302
(30) https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5405#
(32) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X2300109X
(34) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00402-9
(35) https://thewhitehatter.ca/blog/a-transformational-approach-to-parenting-in-todays-onlife-world/
(36) https://www.nature.com/articles/s44159-024-00307-y
(37) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0298422
(39) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7043302/
(40) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732118X2300003X
(42) https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/22-20-0001/222000012024001-eng.htm
(44) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0298422
(46) https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2025-19300-001.pdf
(47) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624008542?dgcid=raven_sd_aip_email#bib51
