Social media & wellbeing

In a 2024 Pew survey, 74% of U.S. teens said social media makes them feel more connected to their friends’ lives, and 30% said it helps their friendships (only 7% said it hurts them).

For adults too, it can keep family ties alive across distance: a grandparent who sees their grandchild’s first steps, or a parent who stays in touch with a child at college. For people who are isolated by illness, disability or living far away, this can be a lifeline.

About half of teens (52%) say social media makes them feel more accepted, or that they have people who will support them through tough times. Girls were more likely than boys to say this (57% vs 45%).

This matters most for people who feel different or alone where they live: someone with a rare health condition, a young carer, a person grieving, or someone who doesn’t see people like them in their town.

In the 2024 Pew survey, 63% of teens said social media gives them a place to show their creative side (68% of girls and 58% of boys).

People also learn new skills from videos, from fixing a bike to cooking a family recipe. And about a third of teens (34%) at least sometimes find mental health information on social media.

Pediatricians explain that polished selfies and videos can shake a young person’s confidence, especially when they compare their everyday life to edited pictures. This can feed anxiety, envy and repeated, stuck thoughts.

In 2024, 20% of teen girls and 10% of teen boys said social media hurts their confidence.

When Pew asked teens which parts of their life social media hurts, sleep came top: 45% said it hurts their sleep, and 40% said it hurts their productivity.

Pediatricians also point out that time online can crowd out sleep, schoolwork, family time and in-person friendships. Often it’s not the screen itself that hurts, but what it pushes out.

Apps show you more of whatever you pause on, like or watch. So curiosity about one diet video, or one sad post, can quickly fill your feed with much more of it.

Some trends promote unhealthy habits, like extreme dieting or obsessive exercise to change your body. These can be especially harmful for anyone who is struggling with eating or body image.

People mostly post the good bits: the party, the new job, the perfect meal. You don’t see the arguments, the loneliness or the 40 photos they deleted. Comparing your “behind the scenes” to someone else’s highlight reel is not a fair fight.

Try asking yourself

• “Am I seeing the whole story?”
• “How do I feel after looking at this account?”
• “Would I say this about myself to a friend?”

FOMO is the worry that other people are doing something better, or that you’re being left out. Seeing photos of a get-together you weren’t invited to can sting, and it can keep you checking your phone in case you miss something.

It helps to remember that missing one event doesn’t mean you don’t matter. You might reach out to one friend directly, or plan your own small get-together.

Filters and editing apps make it easy to smooth skin, slim bodies or change faces. Pediatricians report that one study found more than 70% of social media users edit their photos before posting them.

Many editing apps also push one narrow idea of beauty, which can be especially hurtful for young people of colour. Seeing these images every day can make normal bodies feel “wrong”.

Pediatricians warn about trends that push very low-calorie eating, extreme workouts or a single “ideal” body shape. For young people who are already struggling, these can make unhealthy eating worse.

Signs to take seriously

• Big changes in eating
• Extreme or obsessive exercise
• Trouble sleeping
• Pulling away from friends or activities
• Lots of worry about weight or shape

A parasocial relationship is a one-sided emotional connection with someone you don’t actually know, like a video creator, streamer, podcaster or famous person. Because they talk straight to the camera, share their daily lives and seem to “talk to you”, the bond can feel close and real.

Social media makes these bonds easier to form than ever. You might watch someone every day for years, know their pets’ names and feel happy for them when good things happen. This is normal and very common.

A psychologist at Cleveland Clinic explains that feeling connected to a public figure can ease loneliness, especially in hard times. Seeing someone share experiences like yours can help you feel less alone.

Possible benefits

• Comfort and a sense of belonging
• Motivation to make healthy changes
• Feeling understood when someone shares a similar experience
• Fan communities that lead to real friendships
• Some of the good feelings of company, without social pressure

Parasocial bonds become a concern when they start to take over. Warning signs include neglecting school, work or real-life relationships, spending a lot of money or time on someone’s content, or feeling hurt, betrayed or entitled to their attention.

Another sign is when real relationships start to feel disappointing next to the “perfect” online person. Real friends are messier, but they can also listen, show up and know you back.

Try this

1. Check your motives: is watching filling a gap, like loneliness or sadness?
2. Set limits on time, money and merch.
3. Mute or unfollow if someone’s content leaves you feeling worse.
4. Use a shared interest to connect: join a club, group or local meetup.
5. Reach out to one real person this week: a text, a call, a coffee.

Pediatricians suggest talking with young people about ads and influencer marketing. Many “honest reviews” and “what I eat in a day” posts are paid for.

Under U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidance, influencers should disclose payment, free or discounted products, or a personal or family link to a brand, using clear words like “ad” or “sponsored”, placed where you can’t miss them. Vague words like “collab” or “thanks” on their own aren’t enough.

Signs a post may be an ad

• A discount code or “link in bio”
• Brand tags in the post
• Words like “ad”, “partner” or “sponsored”
• Very similar posts from many creators at once

Influencers may make claims they can’t back up. The FTC says endorsers shouldn’t talk about experience with a product they haven’t tried, or make claims that would need proof they don’t have.

Before you try a trend

• Check who is speaking and what their training is
• Look for the same advice from trusted health organisations
• Be extra careful with anything about food, weight or your body
• Talk with your clinical provider before big health changes

Losing your keys, zoning out in a boring meeting or needing time alone are common human experiences. Social media can make ordinary experiences look like symptoms. Videos are short, and not all of them are reliable.

The more health videos you watch, the more your feed shows you, which can create an echo chamber where it seems like everyone has the same condition.

Tiredness and low mood can come from sleep problems or physical health issues, not only depression. Worry can be linked to trauma, panic, obsessive-compulsive patterns or attention differences. A professional looks at the whole picture and rules things in or out.

• It can miss things a professional would catch
• It can delay care for something that needs attention
• Reading about conditions can raise anxiety
• A label can stick, even when it doesn’t fit

1. Write down what you notice, when it happens and how long it’s been going on.
2. Note how it affects school, work, sleep or relationships.
3. Take your notes and questions to your primary care provider or a therapist.
4. Be honest about what you’ve read and what you’re worried about.
5. Ask for a referral or a second opinion if your concerns aren’t addressed.

It can be a relief to see someone describe something you thought only you experienced. That feeling is worth taking seriously. Let it be the reason you reach out, and check what you learned against trusted health sources.

What U.S. teens reported (Pew, 2022)

• Constantly being asked where they are or what they’re doing, by someone other than a parent (15%)
• Explicit images of them shared without consent (7%)
• False rumours spread about them (22%)
• Offensive name-calling (32%)
• Physical threats (10%)
• Receiving explicit images they didn’t ask for (17%)

Teens who were targeted most often said it was because of how they look (15%), followed by their gender (10%) and their race or ethnicity (9%).

What helps

• Don’t reply or hit back. It often makes it worse.
• Take screenshots so you have a record.
• Block and report the person on the app.
• Tell an adult you trust: a parent, teacher, coach or school counsellor.
• Remember: it says something about them, not about your worth.

Being targeted online can leave people feeling anxious, low, embarrassed or afraid to go to school or online. Many feel they can’t escape it because it’s on the phone they carry everywhere.

Teens who used social media frequently were more likely to report persistent sadness or hopelessness and to have been bullied online, though the CDC survey shows a link, not a cause.

Small things that help

• Don’t like, share or add to it
• Report the post or account
• Send the person a private message: “That wasn’t okay. Are you alright?”
• Tell a trusted adult if it’s serious or keeps happening

In the Pew survey, 66% of teens said parents are doing a good or excellent job of addressing online harassment, compared with 40% for teachers and 25% for social media companies.

What helps

• Listen calmly and thank them for telling you
• Don’t take their phone away as a punishment: it can stop them telling you next time
• Help them save evidence, block and report
• Work with the school if classmates are involved

Research the AAP describes found that most teens were doing well with technology, but about a third had more depression and loneliness, and talked less with their parents about social media.

Teen girls are more likely to say social media hurts their confidence (20% vs 10% of boys).

In 2024, 48% of U.S. teens said social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age, but only 14% said the same about themselves.

Apps show you more of whatever you pause on, like or watch. That’s why two people can see very different worlds on the same app, and why you can retrain your feed.

Not hitting back is wise, but staying silent alone isn’t enough when it keeps going. Saving evidence, blocking, reporting and telling a trusted adult all help. Half of teens said permanent account bans for harassers would help a lot.

Remind them that posts are picked, posed and often edited. Then point to real strengths you see in them, beyond looks.

• Thank them for telling you
• Help them screenshot, block and report
• Avoid taking away their phone as a punishment
• Check in again over the next few weeks

Feeds can fill up quickly with content about extreme dieting, self-harm or hopelessness after just a little interest. Ask to look together, and help them retrain the feed.

Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, 24 hours a day. You can reach out for yourself or for someone you’re worried about.

A free, 24/7 text line staffed by trained crisis counselors. Some people find texting easier than talking.

Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) is a free directory of helplines in more than 175 countries, by phone, text or chat.