social media and teenagers

the more time young adults spent on social media, the more likely they were to have problems sleeping and report symptoms of depression.2 The verdict is still out on whether social media is damaging to the mental health of teens. This is in part due to the lack of research. Some studies show that online connections with small groups of people can be beneficial to teens, while other research points to a rise in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. One study out of the University of Pittsburgh, for example, found a correlation between time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image feedback.   Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their peers who spent less time on social media.  And another small study of teens ages 13-18 from the UCLA Brain Mapping Center found that receiving a high number of likes on photos showed increased activity in the reward center of the brain. Further, teens are influenced to like photos, regardless of content, based on high numbers of likes.3 Bottom line: It feels good to be “liked” and herd mentality is big on social media. Like what others like and you’re in.