Multiple sources have blamed on social media for having (or potentially having) negative impact or potential on mental state of young people. To name few:
NPR writes
SEATTLE — The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth.
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It blames them for worsening mental health and behavioral disorders including anxiety, depression, disordered eating and cyberbullying; making it more difficult to educate students; and forcing schools to take steps such as hiring additional mental health professionals, developing lesson plans about the effects of social media, and providing additional training to teachers.
uclahealth.org writes
Social media can distort how people view themselves, Dr. Thames explained. Sadly, many youths wrap their identity within the cloak of their standing on social media.
Unicef.org writes
If you were born after 1995 then you won’t remember life before the Internet. Being connected through smartphones and social media is now just a part of growing up for many children and adolescents. Most of them have positive experiences online, but there are risks involved, including whether the excessive use of social media can ultimately harm their mental health. Research in this area is still in its early stages, but the significance of social media in the lives of many young people is clear.
- Is there evidence for negative impact of social media on mental health?
- If so, to what degree does the impact vary on young developing minds?