Behind the Screen: The Real Effects of Social Media on Teens

Hello and welcome to the HEAL Blog!

In this blog post, we're going to talk about something that everyone has probably already heard of or even been on: social media.

Did you know that by 2025, 95% of teens will own smartphones? About 67% use TikTok regularly, and 60% use Instagram or Snapchat. These numbers might seem quite high, but when you think about it, they really aren’t. Whenever we find any free time throughout the day, you may have noticed how we tend to reach for our phones and essentially “doom scroll.” I mean, why wouldn’t we? It’s really entertaining and convenient when you're bored! Those few minutes you spend scrolling may take your mind off an assignment that’s due later or a test you need to study for. However, those few moments of happiness can just as quickly flip. This blog post will talk about how social media negatively impacts the mental health of teens and how you can try to minimize that impact.

Background

           Let’s be real: social media is basically like a second home for a lot of us, including myself. Social media is a way for people to connect, share information, and build online connections through digital platforms. Twitter (now X), YouTube, Snapchat—you name it, we’re on it. Over half of teens say it would be hard to give up their favorite apps.

Even though it’s amazing when we’re enjoying it, that doesn’t hide the fact that social media does have a lot of negative effects on us. Forty-eight percent of teens now say social media is mostly negative for people their age—this is up from 32% in 2022. Still, only 14% say it personally affects them negatively. Social media is linked to stress, comparison, and sleep issues. Here are these effects in more depth, and ways to lessen their control over your life. Hopefully, by learning about these, going forward we can lessen our use of social media and its negative control on our mental health.

Anxiety and Depression

A UT Southwestern study found that 40% of teens currently in treatment for depression or suicidal thoughts have previously shown “problematic” social media use.

Teens who spend lots of time on social media, especially more than an average of 3 hours a day, are significantly more likely to show signs of anxiety or depression than nonusers. This is because many teenagers feel sad or left out when comparing their lives to others online. Teens who are already struggling with mental health say social media often makes things worse.

Body Image and Self Esteem

When you see someone’s pretty picture online and feel the need to compare yourself to them, you make yourself feel unconfident about your own looks and body. Social media is filled with edited and filtered images. So, just because you see something online doesn’t mean it’s real. Even though this is true, these false images often make teens, especially girls, insecure about their appearance, leading to lower self-esteem and body dissatisfaction.

“Snapchat dysmorphia” is a growing issue: 60% of teen girls say they’re upset their real face doesn’t match their filtered selfies. Eighty percent of 13-year-old girls regularly edit their photos.

These statistics show the scale at which body image and self-esteem of teens, especially girls, are affected by social media. Teenagers feel the need to constantly edit their pictures so they can feel just as “pretty” and comparable to the other pictures they see online.

Cyberbullying

           Although there is no real-life bullying online, cyberbullying is a real thing. Many teens are bullied online through name-calling, exclusion from group chats, rumors, or public shaming. This kind of bullying is linked to depression, low self-esteem, and even self-harm. Most teens have witnessed it, but very few speak up. A 2025 U.S. survey found 58% of teens (ages 13–17) have experienced cyberbullying; 33% in the past month. Common forms include exclusion (32%), mean comments (32%), humiliation (31%), and rumors (29%). Globally, 22% of adolescents aged 12–17 report being cyberbullied. Sixty-six percent of victims report lower self-esteem, 37% develop depression, and many struggle socially and academically.

Addiction and Sleep Deprivation

                 Before going to sleep at night, you may just want to quickly check your phone for 5 minutes, but that can lead to hours of scrolling. Many teens feel like they “have” to check social media constantly, even late at night. This can reduce sleep quality, increase fatigue, and worsen mental health. Studies in 18 countries found social media overuse is linked to shorter sleep, late bedtimes, and “social jetlag,” especially among girls. U.S. studies show emotional distress caused by social media is tied to worse sleep, more clinical symptoms, and even suicidal thoughts.

How Can we Improve?

Let’s be honest: social media isn’t going anywhere. And most of us don’t want to quit completely, we just want it to suck less. That means setting some boundaries (even if it’s just not checking your phone first thing in the morning), calling out toxic behavior, and remembering: what you see online is not the full story.

You’re doing okay, even if your feed makes you feel like you’re not.

Written by Alisha S and researched by Sandy

2025 The HEAL Project