Social media and teenagers: What the evidence says

Article excerpt

Youth mental health problems are rising worldwide, coinciding with teenagers' increasing time on TikTok, Instagram, X, and Snapchat, but does social media actually cause the damage? Researchers have long assumed a direct link between screen time and deteriorating well-being, yet the evidence remains murkier than headlines suggest. The article examines what studies actually show about social media's impact on teen mental health, separating correlation from causation and exploring competing explanations for rising depression and anxiety rates among adolescents.