Social Media Harms
Social Media Harms
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    • Home
    • About Us
    • References
      • Adult- Depression/Anxiety
      • Teens 14-18 Years
      • Tweens 10-13 Years
      • Children 9 & Younger
      • Online Exploitation
    • Media
      • Medium Blog
      • Podcasts
      • Videos - Social Media
      • Articles-Youth
      • Articles- Perspectives
      • Articles - Technology
      • Articles - Mental Health
      • Articles-Politics
      • Books
      • Videos - Technology
    • Activist Links
      • Youth Activist Orgs
      • Tech-Trust & Safety
      • White Papers
  • Home
  • About Us
  • References
    • Adult- Depression/Anxiety
    • Teens 14-18 Years
    • Tweens 10-13 Years
    • Children 9 & Younger
    • Online Exploitation
  • Media
    • Medium Blog
    • Podcasts
    • Videos - Social Media
    • Articles-Youth
    • Articles- Perspectives
    • Articles - Technology
    • Articles - Mental Health
    • Articles-Politics
    • Books
    • Videos - Technology
  • Activist Links
    • Youth Activist Orgs
    • Tech-Trust & Safety
    • White Papers

References - Teens 14-18 Years

  1. Nagata JM, Otmar CD, Shim J, et al. Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(5):e2511704. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11704
  2. Pre-Print, Capraro, V., Globig, L., Rausch, Z., Rathje, S., Wormley, A. S., Olson, J., … Van Bavel, J. J. (2025, May 15). A consensus statement on potential negative impacts of smartphone and social media use on adolescent mental health. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/b94dy_v1 Note: 120 int. researchers, 11 disciplines, 1,400 references
  3. Christakis DA, Mathew GM, Reichenberger DA, Rodriguez IR, Ren B, Hale L. Adolescent Smartphone Use During School Hours. JAMA Pediatr. Published online February 03, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6627
  4. Hjetland, G.J., Finserås, T.R., Sivertsen, B. et al. Digital self-presentation and adolescent mental health: Cross-sectional and longitudinal insights from the “LifeOnSoMe”-study.                     BMC Public Health 24, 2635 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20052-4
  5. Nivins, S., Sauce, B., Liebherr, M. et al (2024). Long-term impact of digital media on brain development in children, Sci Rep 14, 13030 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63566-y
  6. Web Editor Note: although labeled as discussing young adult mental health, there is much discussion regarding adolescent mental health issues, so the below is listed here: Corzine, A., Roy, A. Inside the black mirror: current perspectives on the role of social media in mental illness self-diagnosis (2024). Discov Psychol 4, 40 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00152-3 
  7. Susi, K., Glover-Ford, F., Stewart, A.,  Knowles Bevis, R., & Hawton, K. (2023). Research Review: Viewing  self-harm images on the internet and social media platforms: systematic  review of the impact and associated psychological mechanisms. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 64(8), 1115–1139. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13754
  8. Thai, Helen & Davis, Christopher & Mahboob, Wardah & Perry, Sabrina & Adams, Alex & Goldfield, Gary. (2023). Reducing Social Media Use Improves Appearance and Weight Esteem in Youth With Emotional Distress. Psychology of Popular Media. 10.1037/ppm0000460. 
  9. Armstrong-Carter, E., Garrett, S. L., Nick,  E. A., Prinstein, M. J., & Telzer, E. H. (2023). Momentary links  between adolescents' social media use and social experiences and  motivations: Individual differences by peer susceptibility. Developmental psychology, 59(4), 707–719. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001503
  10. Rodway, C., Tham, S. G., Richards, N.,  Ibrahim, S., Turnbull, P., Kapur, N., & Appleby, L. (2023). Online  harms? Suicide-related online experience: a UK-wide case series study of  young people who die by suicide. Psychological medicine, 53(10), 4434–4445. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722001258
  11. Corzine A., Harrison, V. (2023, Sep 18), Social Contagion, from Suicide to Online Challenges to Eating Disorders: Current Research and Harm Mitigation Strategies for Youth Online, Journal of Online Trust & Safety,  Vol 2, No 1, https://tsjournal.org/plugins/generic/pdfJsViewer/pdf.js/web/viewer.html?file=https%3A%2F%2Ftsjournal.org%2Findex.php%2Fjots%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F145%2F61%2F543#cite.0@Robinson%3A2023
  12. Flayelle, Maèva & Brevers, Damien & King, Daniel & Maurage, Pierre & Perales, José & Billieux, Joel. (2023). A taxonomy of technology design features that promote potentially addictive online behaviours. Nature Reviews Psychology. 2. 136–150. 10.1038/s44159-023-00153-4. 
  13. Dane, A., & Bhatia, K. (2023). The social  media diet: A scoping review to investigate the association between  social media, body image and eating disorders amongst young people. PLOS global public health, 3(3), e0001091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091
  14. Dyer C. (2022). Social media content contributed to teenager's death "in more than a minimal way," says coroner. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 379, o2374. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2374,
  15. Moss, C., Wibberley, C., & Witham, G.  (2023). Assessing the impact of Instagram use and deliberate self-harm  in adolescents: A scoping review. International journal of mental health nursing, 32(1), 14–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13055
  16. Valkenburg, P. M., Meier, A., & Beyens,  I. (2022). Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health:  An umbrella review of the evidence. Current opinion in psychology, 44, 58–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.017
  17. Murray, A., Koronczai, B., Király,  O., Griffiths, M. D., Mannion, A., Leader, G., & Demetrovics, Z.  (2022). Autism, problematic internet use and gaming disorder: A  systematic review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9(1), 120–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00243-0
  18. Marciano, L., Schulz, P., Camerini, AL (2022), How do depression, duration of internet use and social connection in adolescence influence each other over time? An extension of the RI-CLPM including contextual factors,Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 136, 107390, ISSN 0747-5632, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107390. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222002126)
  19. Dekkers, T. J., & van Hoorn, J. (2022).  Understanding Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents with  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Narrative Review and  Clinical Recommendations. Brain sciences, 12(12), 1625. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121625
  20. Giordano, A., Lundeen, L., Wester, K.,  Lee, J., Vickers, S., Schmit, M., Kim, I. K. (2022). Nonsuicidal Self-Injury on Instagram: Examining Hashtag Trends, International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354941736_Nonsuicidal_Self-Injury_on_Instagram_Examining_Hashtag_Trends
  21. Twenge, J. M., & Hamilton, J. L. (2022).  Linear correlation is insufficient as the sole measure of associations:  The case of technology use and mental health. Acta psychologica, 229, 103696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103696
  22. Twenge, J.M., Haidt, J., Lozano, J., & Cummins, K.M (2022) Specification curve analysis shows that social media use is linked to poor mental health, especially among girls. Acta psychologica, 
  23. Liu, M., Kamper-DeMarco, K. E., Zhang, J.,  Xiao, J., Dong, D., & Xue, P. (2022). Time Spent on Social Media and  Risk of Depression in Adolescents: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(9), 5164. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095164
  24. Sheng, X., Yang, M., Ge, M., Zhang, L.,  Huang, C., Cui, S., Yuan, Q., Ye, M., Zhou, R., Cao, P., Peng, R.,  Zhang, K., & Zhou, X. (2022). The relationship between Internet  addiction and childhood trauma in adolescents: The mediating role of  social support. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 996086. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.996086, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36275326/
  25. Khatcherian, E., Zullino, D., De Leo, D., & Achab, S. (2022).  Feelings of Loneliness: Understanding the Risk of Suicidal Ideation in  Adolescents with Internet Addiction. A Theoretical Model to Answer to a  Systematic Literature Review, without Results. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4), 2012. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042012
  26. Giordano, A.,  Schmit, M., McCall, J. (2022). Exploring adolescent social media and internet gaming addiction: The role of emotion regulation. Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling. 10.1002/jaoc.12116, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jaoc.12116
  27. Giordano, A.,  Schmit, M., Clement, K., Potts, E.,  Graham, A. (2022). Pornography Use and Sexting Trends Among American Adolescents: Data to Inform School Counseling Programming and Practice. Professional School Counseling. 26. 2156759X2211372. 10.1177/2156759X221137287. 
  28. Achterberg, M., Becht, A., van der Cruijsen,  R., van de Groep, I. H., Spaans, J. P., Klapwijk, E., & Crone, E. A.  (2022). Longitudinal associations between social media use, mental  well-being and structural brain development across adolescence. Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 54, 101088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101088
  29. Saul, J., Rodgers, R. F., & Saul, M. (2022). Adolescent Eating Disorder Risk and the Social Online World: An Update. Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America, 31(1), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2021.09.004
  30. Moreno, M.A., & Jolliff, A.F. (2022). Depression and Anxiety in the Context of Digital Media, https://assets.cambridge.org/97811088/38726/frontmatter/9781108838726_frontmatter.pdf. 
  31. Bozzola, E., Spina, G.,  Agostiniani, R., Barni, S., Russo, R., Scarpato, E., Di Mauro, A., Di  Stefano, A. V., Caruso, C., Corsello, G., & Staiano, A. (2022). The  Use of Social Media in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review on the  Potential Risks. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(16), 9960. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169960
  32. Haidt, J., & Twenge, J. (2021). Adolescent mood disorders since 2010: A collaborative review. Unpublished manuscript, New York University. Accessed at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1diMvsMeRphUH7E6D1d_J7R6WbDdgnzFHDHPx9HXzR5o/edit
  33. Mento, C., Silvestri, M. C., Muscatello, M.  R. A., Rizzo, A., Celebre, L., Praticò, M., Zoccali, R. A., & Bruno,  A. (2021). Psychological Impact of Pro-Anorexia and Pro-Eating Disorder  Websites on Adolescent Females: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042186, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7926357/
  34. Valkenburg, P., Beyens, I., Pouwels, J. L.,  Driel, I., Keijsers, L (2021). Social Media Browsing and Adolescent Well-Being: Challenging the “Passive Social Media Use Hypothesis”. 10.31234/osf.io/gzu3y. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348345356_Social_Media_Browsing_and_Adolescent_Well-Being_Challenging_the_Passive_Social_Media_Use_Hypothesis
  35. Giordano, A. L.,  Prosek, E. A. &  Watson, J.C. (2021).  Understanding Adolescent Cyberbullies: Exploring Social Media Addiction and Psychological Factors, Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, 7 (1), 10.1080/23727810.2020.1835420,          https://doi.org/10.1080/23727810.2020.183542
  36. Leventhal, A., Cho, J., Keyes, K., Zink, J., Riehm, K., Yi Zhang, Y., Ketema, E., (2021), Digital media use and suicidal behavior in U.S. adolescents, 2009–2017, Preventive Medicine Reports, Volume 23, 101497,ISSN 2211-3355, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101497.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552100187X)
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  38. Hoffman, A.,  Owen,D., &  Calvert, S. L. (2021).  Parent reports of children's parasocial relationships with conversational agents: Trusted voices in children's lives. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies,  3(4),  606–617. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.271
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Key Takeaways:

"Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024" Pew Research Report

-94% use internet daily

-46% say they are on the internet constantly, up from 24% in 2014-2015

     *16% Use TikTok almost constantly     

     *15% Use YouTube almost constantly

     *13% Use Snapchat almost constantly

     *12% Use Instagram almost constantly

-95% of 13-17 year-olds have access to a smartphone

-Top Social Media Platforms used: YouTube (90%), TikTok (63%), Instagram (61%), Snapchat (55%)


2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results US CDC

More than 3/4 of students reported frequent social media use. Frequent social media use was associated with:

  • A higher prevalence of being bullied. 
  • Feelings of sadness and hopelessness. 
  • Suicide risk among students.

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