Social media use is driving up mental health issues in adolescents

Young people are trapped by social media platforms. There’s a need to undo the vicious cycle and foster genuine human connection.

By Michelle Arauz

There was a time when my afternoons were measured by scraped knees and laughter, not screen time and notifications. When I was younger, my afternoons were spent in the outdoors. My friends and I would spend hours running through my neighborhood until the sun went down, dirt smudged across our clothes, and grins stretched wide.

But as I got older, something began to change. In middle school, technology was slowly introduced into the classroom. My school replaced textbooks with iPads. Soon after, phones entered the picture, and that is when my afternoons truly shifted. Instead of sitting at the dining room table chatting with my siblings, I found myself on Instagram, FaceTime, or Houseparty. It felt like another way to connect with my friends. What seemed like a harmless connection soon took over every quiet moment. Everywhere I turned, another screen lit up with a new notification, whether it was a new assignment posted or another call from my friends.

Over the past two decades, the rise of smartphones and social media has significantly transformed the lives of adolescents. Constant connectivity disrupts sleep and increases the rates of both anxiety and depression among teens. At the same time, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly one in five U.S. children has a mental or emotional health condition. Childhood playtime, once filled with scraped knees and conversation, is now replaced with scrolling and late-night notifications.

Increased social media use and overall screen time have led to higher levels of depression and anxiety in teens. Technology is embedded everywhere, and even simple moments like chatting with a cashier have been replaced by self-checkout screens. These brief exchanges seem insignificant, but they teach communication skills and foster a sense of connection. As more parts of daily life become automated, young people risk losing essential communication skills and deeper forms of connection. If we want to reverse this trend, families, educators, and policymakers must promote ‘digital balance’- creating screen-free zones, limiting app time, and rebuilding space for real-world connection.

Technology has not only changed the way we communicate, but also the way we connect, feel, and understand one another. A study done by MIT Sloan School of Management in 2022 found that students’ mental health declined when they gained access to social platforms, like Facebook. Those who used more social media reported worse well-being, and poor mental health, in turn, drove heavier social media use. This creates a cycle that traps adolescents in a digital loop of anxiety and comparison to their peers. 

Another study done by Katherine Keyes, a Professor of Epidemiology at the Columbia Mailman School, and Jonathan Platt, an Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa, found that adolescent girls show the sharpest mental health decline due to social media. What once served as a tool for connection has become an environment of comparison, body image issues, and online bullying.

“We are completely right in contextualizing this issue with the words such as crisis, urgent, and serious,” says Platt. He is right; the more we let this dependence grow unchecked, the deeper the mental health crisis becomes.

Teens, especially girls, measure their worth through likes and followers rather than real relationships. Their endless scrolling keeps them plugged into an online world, leaving them emotionally drained. Social media platforms are designed to keep us plugged and not to disconnect. Instagram, for example, has “screen-time limits” that can be disabled with a tap, sending users right back into this ‘endless scroll’. You believe you have control, but truly, the app controls you.

Online bullying thrives on the anonymity social media provides, letting users post cruel comments without consequence. This makes it nearly impossible to escape harassment. The constant exposure to judgment can damage self-esteem, which is detrimental to adolescents because they are in the process of forming their identity.

As a result, many teens feel more isolated than ever, despite being more connected than any generation before them. The number of hours a teen spends on social media often parallels rising rates of anxiety and depression.

Social media has become an inseparable part of adolescent life, and because of this, the effects technology has on mental health are detrimental. Instead of connecting with friends face-to-face, many teens rely on apps to communicate. Online communication allows adolescents to read, edit, and reread their messages before sending them. As a result, teens struggle to engage in real-life conversations where emotions and reactions matter.

A 2020 study found that participants who reduced their Facebook use reported greater life satisfaction, suggesting that limiting social media can directly improve emotional well-being.

A medical student, Robin Nag, who is currently applying to psychiatry residency, says, “Kids are spending more time on their phones than ever before, and it distracts kids from learning other skills like reading, writing, and even sports.

Something greater comes from those real-life experiences, learning how to interact with others face-to-face. The art of holding eye contact or reading someone’s emotions is fading.  

We can now react to a message with just a thumbs-up, which has replaced genuine responses. The digital distance adds to the growing loneliness, as these replies can sometimes feel like a rejection. Excessive screen time distracts adolescents from learning and engaging in experiences that build confidence and resilience. The digital convenience of constant connection has ironically turned into the opposite, as adolescents feel more disconnected than ever.

Adolescents are unable to escape technology; it is everywhere they look and turn. A school environment that was once filled with the sound of pencil sharpeners and scribbling on paper is now dominated by the clicks of keyboards. Most assignments have shifted to digital platforms. From an early age, students are taught to use tools like Google Docs, Word, and Google Slides, as schools aim to prepare them for a technology-driven world. Nearly every subject relies on screens, with mathematics being one of the few that still regularly involves pen and paper.

Jonathan Platt adds that his seven-year-old now completes all homework on a Chromebook. While technology offers many advantages, Platt questions what it is truly being used for. He emphasizes the need for balance, arguing that students should still learn to write with pen and paper rather than relying solely on screens.

Some may argue that using technology is a personal choice, much like choosing fame and accepting constant criticism. However, in today’s world, one cannot truly opt out of technology.

Many stores no longer offer in-person cashiers, requiring customers to use self-checkouts, and post-COVID, some don’t even accept cash, forcing digital interaction at every turn. Even restaurants now rely on QR-code menus or iPads for ordering, replacing simple human exchanges with screens.

The same is true for teenagers entering the workforce; job applications, assignments, and communication all happen online. In 2025, knowing how to navigate platforms like Google Docs and Word is no longer optional but expected. Ultimately, there is no way to stop your interaction with technology; it surrounds us in every corner of daily life, from the devices we use for work to the phone that wakes us up each morning.

As technology continues to dominate daily life, adolescents’ mental health has faced a steady decline. Excessive social media fuels constant comparison, where self-worth is measured by digital numbers. How many likes, comments, and followers one has heightens anxiety and depression. Increased screen time has weakened adolescents’ ability to communicate face-to-face, leaving them feeling disconnected from real human interaction. Even in schools, technology was introduced to enhance learning. This leaves teenagers surrounded by screens that they cannot escape. These factors create an environment where adolescents are always plugged in and drained.

Recognizing this pattern is crucial. The solution is not to reject technology entirely but learning to balance it is key to success. As a society, we must prioritize healthy digital boundaries so adolescents can reclaim genuine connection and a world that feels real again.