The impact of social media on young people's mental health remains unclear. Despite this uncertainty, Congress, state legislatures, and the U.S. Surgeon General have pushed forward with measures such as age restrictions and warning labels for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

However, experts argue that focusing solely on the negative aspects of social media may lead policymakers to overlook its potential mental health benefits for teenagers. Researchers, pediatricians, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have highlighted these overlooked positives.

In June, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advocated for warning labels on social media platforms. Following this, the Senate passed the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act on July 30. Additionally, at least 30 states are considering legislation related to children and social media, which includes measures like age bans, parental consent requirements, and new digital literacy courses for K-12 students.

While research indicates that some social media features can be harmful—such as algorithm-driven content distorting reality, constant notifications disrupting sleep, and anonymity fueling cyberbullying—there are also positive aspects. Linda Charmaraman, a research scientist and director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab at Wellesley Centers for Women, points out that social media can be beneficial for certain young people. For marginalized groups, such as children of color and LGBTQ+ youth, social media can help reduce feelings of isolation.

Charmaraman's research, featured in the Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health, shows that age restrictions could disproportionately impact these groups, who often find affirmation and a sense of identity through these platforms.

“You might initially think, ‘This is terrible; we need to get them off it,’” Charmaraman said. “But when you understand why they use it, it becomes clear that it helps them find identity and community when they lack that in real life.”

Arianne McCullough, a 17-year-old freshman at Willamette University, shared her experience using Instagram to connect with other Black students at her predominantly white institution. “Feeling like you’re the only minority in a space can be isolating,” said McCullough, who is from Sacramento. “Being able to quickly reach out and make plans with others who share similar experiences is really important.”

After just a month at Willamette in Salem, Oregon, McCullough built a network with fellow Black students. “We have a group chat where we talk and make plans,” she said.

Social media hasn’t always been a positive experience for McCullough. During the pandemic, when California schools shut down, she stopped participating in soccer and track, gained weight, and found her social media feed flooded with ads for at-home workouts and fasting diets.

“That’s when the body comparisons started,” McCullough recalled, noting that she felt more irritable, distracted, and unhappy. “I began comparing myself to others and noticed insecurities I hadn't been aware of before.”

When her mother tried to take away her smartphone, McCullough had an emotional reaction. “It was definitely addictive,” said her mother, Rayvn McCullough, 38, from Sacramento.

Eventually, Arianne found that reducing her social media use made her feel happier and more herself. However, the fear of missing out soon resurfaced. “I missed seeing what my friends were up to and the quick communication with them,” she said.

For years before the COVID-19 pandemic, which the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations deemed “a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health,” more young people had been reporting mental health struggles. Surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed rising levels of hopelessness, sadness, and suicidal thoughts among high school students.

The rise of immersive social media platforms—such as the endless video feeds on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram—has been implicated in this crisis. However, a committee from the National Academies of Sciences found the relationship between social media and youth mental health to be complex, with both potential benefits and harms. The report called for increased research funding to better understand social media’s impact on child well-being.

The report also cautioned against legislation like Utah’s recent measures, which impose age and time restrictions on social media use. It warned that such policies might unintentionally isolate young people from their support systems during critical times.

Some states are adopting policies that align with recommendations from the national academies. Virginia and Maryland, for instance, have passed laws prohibiting the sale or disclosure of children’s personal data by social media companies and mandating default privacy settings for minors. Other states, including Colorado, Georgia, and West Virginia, have introduced curricula on social media’s mental health effects for public school students.

The Kids Online Safety Act, currently before the House of Representatives, would require parental consent for users under 13 and impose a “duty of care” on companies to protect users under 17 from harm, including anxiety and depression. Another proposed law, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, seeks to ban targeted ads and the collection of personal data on minors.

Attorneys general from California, Louisiana, Minnesota, and other states have sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging that it misled the public about social media’s risks and failed to address potential mental health harms.

While most social media platforms require users to be at least 13 and have safety features like blocking adult messages to minors and default privacy settings, the Department of Justice recently sued TikTok’s parent company for allegedly violating child privacy laws by allowing children under 13 on the platform and collecting data on them.

Public opinion supports age restrictions and parental consent requirements. However, NetChoice, an industry group with members like Meta and Alphabet (which owns Google and YouTube), has challenged at least eight states' laws aimed at protecting children.

Jenny Radesky, a physician and co-director of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, notes that the impact of social media largely depends on the content and engagement features. She believes that while age bans and consent requirements are well-intentioned, they fail to address the core issue: business models designed to keep users engaged and generate revenue.

“We’ve created a system that’s not well-designed to promote youth mental health,” Radesky said. “It’s designed to maximize profits for these platforms.”