Reviews what is known and not yet known about social media and youth mental health, and asks families, companies and policymakers to act.
Online safety
Last updated 13 Nov 2026 · Reviewed by eduStack editorsWe are still checking authoritative sources for this topic. When that is done, this page will show the bottom line and each body's position. Below are related resources we have already checked.
Our 2 picks on this topic
Guideline Evidence: Official guideline Ages 8–18
Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory US Surgeon General2023
Guideline Evidence: Official guideline Ages 10–18
Health advisory on social media use in adolescence 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.
American Psychological Association2023
The research behind it
Start with the finding, then check the study type, source and limits. We select research by topic; a programme’s overall effect does not establish the effect of each activity.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.