​​​​​​​​​​Addressing and avoiding screen addiction 

Social media, when used responsibly, can be a vital tool for young people to learn to connect and to create community. This can be especially important for those who do not have family or peer support.

When social media or screen time in general is not limited or used responsibly, young people may be risking their mental health and safety. A growing number of young people are becoming addicted to their smartphones, tablets, and computer screens. 

• 95% of teens and 40% of children ages 8-12 are on social media, according to the US Surgeon General.

Social media can expose children to harmful content: 

• Roughly two-thirds (64%) of adolescents are “often” or “sometimes” exposed to hate-based content. 

• Social media may perpetuate low self-esteem and social comparison, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors, especially among adolescent girls. 

  • When asked about the impact of social media on their body image: 46% of adolescents aged 13-17 said social media makes them feel worse.​
    
    

• ~30% of the teens self-reported that they have been cyberbullied at some point in their lifetimes, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center.

• While many social media platforms prohibit promoting or encouraging suicide of self harm, online conversations around suicide and self-harm has, in some tragic cases, been linked to childhood deaths.​

Tips to Avoid Screen Addiction

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Tips for Young People​​

• Reach out for help. If you or someone you know is being negatively affected by social media, reach out to a trusted friend or adult for help. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call, text or chat 988 for immediate help.

• Create boundaries to help balance online and offline activities.

• Develop protective strategies and healthy practices for your own social media use. 

  • See this Tip Sheet on Social Media Use and Mental Health for healthy social media use created for and by young people.

• Be selective with what you post and share online and with whom, as it is often public and can be stored permanently. What you think is sent privately can be screen recorded or screenshotted.

• Protect yourself and others from cyberbullying or other forms of online harassment and abuse:

  • If you or someone you know is the victim of cyberbullying or other forms of online harassment and abuse, don’t keep it a secret. Tell a trusted adult.

  • Use the social media platform’s built-in tools to report cyberbullying and online abuse and exploitation.

  • Protect others by not taking part in online harassment or abuse. Avoid forwarding or sharing messages or images, tell others to stop, and report offensive content.

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Tips for Parents and Caregivers

• Create tech-free zones and encourage children and adolescents to foster in-person friendships.

• Model responsible social media behavior.

• Teach children and adolescents about technology and empower them to be responsible online participants at the appropriate age.

• Create a family media plan to help establish healthy technology boundaries at home — including social media use. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a tool (in English and Spanish) to help you make a plan based on your priorities (e.g., screen free times/zones, kindness and empathy, privacy.

• Use the social media platform’s built-in tools to report cyberbullying and online abuse and exploitation.

• Work with other parents to help establish shared norms and practices and to support programs and policies around healthy social media use.​