Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory
1What parents should know
Reviews what is known and not yet known about social media and youth mental health, and asks families, companies and policymakers to act.
2What the source suggests you do
- Make a family media plan that sets limits, including for social media.
- Create tech-free zones at home and encourage in-person friendships.
- Model responsible use yourself.
- Teach children about technology and how to take part online responsibly.
- Report cyberbullying, online abuse and exploitation.
3Source and checks
The research behind it
What each study found comes first, then the kind of study and where it was published. We prefer systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and check for new research every month.Using data on more than 350,000 adolescents, the study found that digital technology use explained at most 0.4% of the variation in well-being - a negative but very small association on average.
Related
An online tool from the American Academy of Pediatrics for agreeing screen and device rules as a family.
Ten recommendations based on the research to date, including adult monitoring in early adolescence, protecting sleep and physical activity, and social media literacy training before use begins.
Key facts on mental health conditions in 10- to 19-year-olds, the factors that protect or put them at risk, and what helps.