Just like lawmakers, regulators are calling on social media companies to do more to protect the mental health of their smallest users, and teenagers’ perceptions of social media seem to be changing. According to a new report from Pew Research, more and more teenagers say social media is harmful and takes up too much time.
Based on a survey of 1,391 teenagers and parents in the U.S., the report sheds light on how teenagers’ perceptions on social media have changed a growing number of calls to keep online platforms accountable for the so-called harm to young users.
According to the report, 48% of teenagers now see social media as a “mainly negative impact” on others in the age group. It was a major jump from the last time Pew investigated the issue, and only one-third of teenagers were the same. The number of teenagers who view social media as “mostly positive” has also dropped from 24% in 2022 to 11% in the latest polls. “Adolescents’ perceptions of the impact of social media on their peers are becoming increasingly negative,” Pew researchers noted.
Interestingly, there is little chance that teenagers will report that social media is harmful to themselves. Only 14% of the teenagers polled by Pew reported that social media “had a negative impact on them personally.” Pew researchers did not speculate on the reasons for this difference, although the report notes that there is a growing conversation about the impact of social media on adolescent mental health, including U.S. surgeons last year.
The Pew report also shows that teenagers are increasingly aware of how much time they spend on social media platforms. 45% of teenagers said they “spent too much time” on social media, and up to 27% said the same time in 2023. Similar teens say social media has a negative impact on their sleep (45%) and productivity (40%). 44% of teenagers reported that they “cut down” their overall use of smartphones and social media.
While the report is unlikely to address long-term debates about whether social media is more helpful or harmful to young people, the fact that teenagers are shifting. At a time when some lawmakers come from children who are entirely social media, Pew’s report shows that adults are not the only ones who are worried about this.
