Starting Out With Social Media and Teens
Social Media and Teens: the few things that matter most, and the mistakes that catch people out early.
How teens use social media platforms and how that use can affect sleep, mood and safety.
Key takeaways
- Teens using social media: up to 95% of those aged 13 to 17
- Heavy use: teens spending more than 3 hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, per the Surgeon General's advisory
- Most useful single change: Make a family media plan together with screen-free times such as meals and the hour before bed.
- Commonest mistake: Phones in the bedroom overnight.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Why bother
Up to 95% of US teens aged 13 to 17 use social media, and the US Surgeon General has warned that heavy use is linked to higher risk of anxiety and depression symptoms.
Start here
Just these two to begin with. The rest can wait.
- Make a family media plan together with screen-free times such as meals and the hour before bed
- Review privacy settings and who can contact your teen
Then add these
Next, once the first two have stopped feeling like effort.
- Talk about how feeds are designed to keep people scrolling, and how photos can be edited
- Encourage teens to unfollow accounts that make them feel worse about themselves
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Teens using social media | up to 95% of those aged 13 to 17 |
| Heavy use | teens spending more than 3 hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, per the Surgeon General's advisory |
| Minimum age on most platforms | 13 |
| Family planning tool | the AAP Family Media Plan |
Common early mistakes
- Phones in the bedroom overnight
- Sharing location, intimate images or personal details with people met online
- Responding to or forwarding bullying content
Related topics
- Children and Screens: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Children's Health)
- The Evidence on Loneliness, Without the Hype (Mental Health)
- Loneliness and Aging: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Healthy Aging)
- The Evidence on Weight and Mental Health, Without the Hype (Weight Management)
Where to go next
- The Social Media and Teens Checklist: What to Do and What to Skip
- Social Media and Teens: Common Myths and What Guidelines Say
- Social Media and Teens — the reference entry
- Teen Health: The Complete Guide
- Puberty: What Published Guidance Supports
- HPV Vaccine: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to speak to a doctor
See your doctor if social media use is affecting sleep, schoolwork, eating or mood, or if a teen is being bullied online. Call or text 988 for thoughts of self-harm; call 911 if a teen is threatened with harm, and report sexual exploitation or sextortion to the NCMEC CyberTipline or the FBI.
Where this comes from
- HHS — Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory
- American Psychological Association — Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Family Media Plan
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
