The kids want to be alright. More and more teens are speaking up about social media’s impact on their mental health. A new report from the Pew Research Center reveals that nearly half of teens (48%) now say social media is mostly harmful to their generation’s mental well-being — a sharp rise from just 32% in 2022. Yet interestingly, only 14% believe their own mental health is negatively affected, highlighting a growing disconnect between personal perception and peer concern.
Kids and Social Media
The survey uncovered a complex relationship between teens and social media. On one hand, nearly half believe these platforms harm mental health. Yet a third say they at least occasionally turn to social media for mental health information. And while 45% admit they spend too much time scrolling, a striking 74% say social media helps them feel more connected to their friends. It’s a mix of concern and connection, reflecting the double-edged nature of life online. When it comes to the impact of social media, friendships are the one bright spot — the only area where most teens said it’s actually helped rather than hurt. But beyond that, the effects are far less rosy. Many teens said social media is messing with their sleep and tanking their productivity — a small victory for every parent who’s ever begged, “Just leave your phone in the other room before bed!”
Gender plays a role too. Teen girls are feeling the downsides more acutely than boys, reporting higher rates of negative impacts on mental health (25% vs. 14%), confidence (20% vs. 10%), and sleep (50% vs. 40%).
“Even a small gesture, like reminding your child you’re there to talk, can open the door to deeper conversations and support.”
“The people they see on social media, it makes them think they have to look and be like them or they won’t be liked,” one teen girl shared in the survey — a powerful reflection of how comparison culture can cut deep. Parents, meanwhile, are overwhelmingly critical of social media’s influence. Among those worried about teen mental health, nearly half (44%) pointed to social media as the number one cause — far ahead of the next concern, general technology use (14%).
“They live in a fake world of social media that limits them as human beings, distancing them from their family,” one mother wrote, echoing a sentiment felt by many.
This disconnect between generations runs deep, especially when it comes to talking about mental health. While 80% of parents said they’d feel comfortable having those conversations, only 52% of teens said the same. That gap matters — because even a small gesture, like reminding your child you’re there to talk, can open the door to deeper conversations and support. It doesn’t take a perfect speech, just presence.
As one teen boy summed it up: “The overuse of social media in our society seems to be the main cause of depression among those in my age group. People seem to let themselves be affected by the opinions of people they don’t know, and it wreaks havoc upon people’s states of mind.”
