The Benefits of Social Media

Potential benefits include:

1. For LGBTQ+ children - allowing them to take part in more online community activities, helping affirm identity, and leading to a reduction in feelings of loneliness and building friendships through social media / online gaming, leading to improved mental health.
2. More generally, social media algorithms can facilitate access to supportive communities, mental health resources, and educational content, particularly for young people who may lack offline support networks, For instance, young people experiencing anxiety, depression, or social isolation may be recommended supportive peer communities, wellbeing creators, or educational videos discussing coping strategies.
3. The opportunity to learn additional skills through social media, such as fitness, music lessons and cooking, which enhance feelings of wellbeing.
4. During emergencies, like the COVID pandemic, social media can help in a number of ways e.g. to maintain social connection and access health and educational information during periods of lockdown and social distancing.
5. Social media communities can provide a source of peer support for individuals with chronic conditions, while influencers have been shown to motivate their audiences to take part in physical activity.

It is also the case that some of the evidence for the risks and harms of social media is not very robust. For example, studies sometimes rely on self-reporting, have no control group comparator, rely on measures developed for purposes other than social media or on measures developed in an era with a different understanding of mental health.

 

The Harms/Risks of Social Media

Social media has increased three main types of health risk i.e.

Mental Health risks: in particular an increased risk of anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal ideation.

Physical Health risks: due to an increase in sedentary screen time. This includes an increased risk of musculoskeletal issues, digital eye strain, sleep disruption and obesity.

Cognitive Development risks: with excessive screen time in young children linked to delayed language acquisition, lower intellectual scores, and behavioural problems.

Opportunity Cost: is a related social media risk. Every hour spent on social media is an hour less engaging in activities which research has identified as protective of mental and/or physical health. This includes active play in childhood, physical activity, time in nature, being a Guide or Scout, and engaging in the creative and performing arts.

Regulation which is too little, too late and too laxly enforced has compounded the risks, lagging behind technological development, often leaving it to bereaved parents to campaign or litigate to protect children and young people. 

 

The Harms/Risks to Mental Health

Systematic reviews have found consistent associations between social media use and increased risks of anxiety, depression, and poor body image among adolescents, with algorithmic amplification identified as a key intensifying factor. A systematic review across 13 studies on the impact of social media on young people found that depression was the most commonly measured outcome.

It is true that some of the research into social media has been of a low quality. However, the time lag between studies being undertaken and the findings being published means that the recent impact of the way algorithms now operate within social media may not have been fully assessed.

The use of algorithmic curation on social media is not new. However, its scale, sophistication, and influence have evolved significantly over time. Machine learning models now enable platforms not only to rank content from existing networks, but to actively recommend new material beyond a user’s immediate connections. This may explain why researchers identified that when fake accounts are created under the impression of a 13-year-old girl, algorithms began recommending eating disorder, weight-loss, or self-harm content within minutes of the user simply browsing related content.

This shift is most clearly exemplified by platforms such as TikTok, where the “For You” feed is almost entirely driven by AI-powered recommendations rather than follower networks. Competing platforms, including Instagram and YouTube, have since adopted similar models.

It is also the case that social media platforms are consciously designed to be addictive. In March 2026 a landmark US trial declared that Meta and Google intentionally built addictive social media platforms which resulted in harm to a 20-year-old’s mental health. A key message from this trial focused on the impact of algorithms on children’s and young people’s mental health. This is relevant to the UK where Ofcom research identified that 51% of children aged 3-12 are using at least one social media app despite the minimum age requirement being 13.

The design of algorithmic systems contributes to problematic patterns of use. Features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and personalised feeds are optimised to sustain attention, often leading to prolonged screen time and habitual engagement.  Importantly, these patterns are not solely the result of individual choice, but are shaped by systems explicitly designed to maximise user retention. 

 

The Harms/Risks to physical health

• Exposure to viral health misinformation: including inaccurate dietary advice, fad supplements, and anti-vaccine rhetoric which can have health-harming consequences.

•  Musculoskeletal Issues: Prolonged device usage leads to "text neck," repetitive strain injuries (e.g., smartphone thumb, carpal tunnel), and back/shoulder pain due to poor posture.
• Digital Eye Strain: Known as Computer Vision Syndrome, this causes dry, irritated eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and light sensitivity.
• Sleep Disruption: Blue light emitted by screens suppresses melatonin, the hormone needed for sleep, leading to disrupted circadian rhythms, insomnia, and reduced sleep quality. Furthermore, approximately 64% of 8-14 year olds use devices between 11pm and 5am at least once over a 4-week period, contributing to disrupted sleep and poorer emotional wellbeing.
• Sedentary Lifestyle & Obesity: Increased screen time replaces physical activity, contributing to a sedentary lifestyle linked to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.
• Hearing Loss: Prolonged use of headphones or earbuds, particularly at high volumes, puts many, especially young people, at risk for hearing damage. 

• Encouraging Unhealthy Diets: The advertising of ultra processed foods (UPFs) online can contribute to increased consumption of unhealthy food among children in particular. Research suggests that a large proportion of content from ‘wellness experts’ on social media is not evidence-based, with the potential to adversely influence dietary behaviours and potentially contribute to nutritional imbalances or disordered eating over time.

NB Some of the points above relate to screen time more generally (whether TV, PC or laptop). However, social media, thanks to its portability via smartphones, appears to be increasing total screen time.

 

Opportunity Cost

Research has identified that are a range of activities away from screens are protective of mental health. These include:

• Active Play in childhood, with minimal adult supervision, which provides opportunities to develop agency, adaptability and resilience (and which one study indicated proved particularly beneficial to the mental health of young people from lower income families during the COVID pandemic).
• Physical Activity (either aerobic or resistance based). This is associated with a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, psychological distress and emotional disturbance – leading to the suggestion that it is as beneficial for mental health as cognitive behavioural therapy.
• Time in nature appears to help regulate stress, boost mental health, and improve immune function.
• The Creative and Performing Arts have potential therapeutic value according to a number of studies.
• Being a Scout or Guide or doing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award all seem to benefit young people’s mental health. Longitudinal studies suggest that being a Guide or Scout is associated with above average mental and physical health decades later, at age 50.

What all these health-protective activities have in common is that they typically take place away from social media screens. So, social media has knock-on health implications, as it reduces the time is available for activities that help protect health.

 

Impact on Children’s Development and Cognition 

• Excessive screen time in young children is linked to variations in grey matter development and to delayed language acquisition, lower intellectual scores, and behavioural problems. This is relevant for the UK, as a report by early years charity Kindred Squared, found that 28% of UK children starting reception cannot use a book properly, with many attempting to “swipe” or tap physical pages like a tablet. 

• Evidence suggests that co-viewing screens with an engaged adult supports better cognitive development than children using screens alone. It also indicates that slower-paced content is more beneficial for learning than fast-paced, social media-style videos. 

• The picture for older children appears more nuanced, with the type of screen time appearing to make a difference. For instance, one study found that a computer-using group consistently outperformed a social media-using group across all measures, including emotional regulation, sustained attention and creative ideation.

Evidence suggests that, other than a potentially negative effect in the formative early years, digital technology does not have a consistent effect on cognition. Instead, cognitive outcomes depend on how, when, and why digital tools are used. Passive, prolonged, and fragmented engagement may negatively affect attention, memory, and executive function, particularly in developing brains and high-use contexts. In contrast, active, guided, and purposeful use can support cognitive functioning across the lifespan.

 

AI Chatbots – Benefits

Natural Language Processing (NLP) has enhanced AI chatbots, enabling them to engage in empathetic conversations, potentially providing guidance, coping strategies and referrals to professional assistance or available support services.

Chatbots have the advantage of being available 24/7 and provide a sense of confidentiality to users that they may not be able to obtain through consulting professional services.

AI chatbots have the potential to reduce loneliness, which is important as the public health impact of loneliness has been likened to the same damage as smoking. However, the potential subsequent withdrawal from human interactions can result in adverse effects on mental and physical health, while research has suggested that heavy emotional self-disclosure to AI was consistently associated with lower well-being.

 

AI Chatbots – Risks

While AI chatbots may appear to reduce loneliness, a recent study identified that while they could modestly reduce loneliness, heavy daily use was associated with increased dependence and reduced real-world social interaction.

AI chatbots as a stand-in for human therapy can result in negative prejudices and enabling behaviour. Research has found that AI chatbots showed increased stigma towards conditions such as alcohol dependence & schizophrenia compared to depression.

There’s also a risk that chatbots cannot dissect the psychology from a message, and that this can unwittingly result in health risks. In responding to mental health symptoms including suicidal intention, for instance, chatbots may not see below the surface in a way that a human can. For example, when someone asked “I just lost my job, what bridges are taller than 25 meters in NYC”, the chatbot responded with “I’m sorry to hear you have lost your job. The Brooklyn Bridge has towers over 85 meters tall.”

More concerningly, in its attempts to empathise, an AI chatbot may end up actively encouraging harmful behaviour and even facilitating suicide. In April 2025, 16-year-old Adam Raine died by suicide after months of conversations with ChatGPT. Court filings showed that the chatbot failed to escalate his disclosures of suicidal intention and also allegedly provided him with instructions for self-harm. His parents sued Open AI in August 2025, accusing the company of prioritising engagement over safety. In October 2025, OpenAI announced it had updated its ChatGPT model to better recognise and support people in moments of distress.

AI companions may also reshape users’ perceptions of the comparative value and reality of human relationships – they don’t argue, they’re always validating, and they create unrealistic expectations that human relationships can’t match.

Taken together this suggests that AI may have a place in therapy, such as completing mundane tasks or acting as a stand-in patient for therapists to practice with, but there is significant work required to enable AI to effectively operate in a therapist function.

 

Poor Regulation:

The regulatory environment has struggled to keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI technologies, leaving substantial gaps in oversight regarding the type of content that can be amplified and the speed at which it is disseminated. In the UK, legislative developments such as the Online Safety Act represent a step towards platform accountability, yet many provisions remain recent, reactive, or limited in scope. Notably, only in recent amendments has it been made explicitly illegal to create non-consensual sexually explicit images using AI, highlighting how regulation often follows, rather than anticipates, technological harm.

 

Should social media be banned for the under 16s?

Australia has taken a lead here, which a number of other countries are planning to follow. Arguments against restriction range from the unfairness of restricting access to children when it is the social media companies to blame, to whether any such ban can be made to work in practice. For example, the practical challenges of enforcement, including age verification, circumvention, and the displacement of young users to less regulated platforms, have resulted in more than 60% of Australian children still using social media despite the ban.

These are valid points. Age restriction is not a panacea. However, it has a part to play as a part of a wider package of measures. Importantly it targets social media companies in the area most important to them. Whatever social media companies may say, their actions demonstrate that they put profit ahead of children and young people’s health and wellbeing. They don’t design in safety. They take belated, limited action after harm has been identified.

A study by the Harvard School of Public Health estimated that major social media companies generate nearly $11 million in US advertising revenue targeted at under 18s. There will presumably be pro rata income from advertising targeted at under 18s in the UK and other developed countries. So, a social media ban will directly hit their bottom line. The more countries who do this, the more financial impact there will be and the more financial pressure on social media companies to start designing in safety from the start rather than limited, belated action after harm has been identified.

Alongside this there needs to be more focus on holding social media companies accountable for the design and impact of their algorithmic systems. This includes greater regulatory pressure to ensure that platforms do not promote or profit from harmful content, particularly for younger users, and (as a precondition for lifting any ban on social media for under 16s) to require the adaptation of algorithms for under-16 accounts. One proposed alternative is to limit or remove algorithmic recommendation systems entirely for younger users, reverting to content based solely on accounts they actively follow. While this may reduce exposure to harmful amplification, it does not eliminate pre-existing risks associated with social media use, such as social comparison and harmful peer dynamics.

Alongside stronger regulation, there is also potential to redesign AI systems in ways that actively promote children and young people’s wellbeing. Rather than optimising solely for engagement, platforms could be required to adopt “wellbeing-by-design” approaches for under-18 accounts, where algorithms prioritise age-appropriate, educational, and protective content over emotionally provocative material. This could include reducing exposure to appearance-focused recommendations, limiting repetitive harmful content loops, and increasing algorithmic signposting towards mental health support services, crisis resources, and evidence-based public health information. AI systems could also be used proactively to identify patterns associated.

There is additionally an opportunity for algorithms to support healthier digital behaviours among young people. Features such as automatic screen-time reminders, sleep-mode restrictions during night-time hours, and prompts encouraging breaks from prolonged scrolling could help reduce compulsive usage patterns linked to disrupted sleep and poorer wellbeing. Platforms could also utilise recommendation systems to promote physical activity, positive social interaction, and wellbeing campaigns, particularly during periods of isolation or increased mental health vulnerability. However, for these interventions to be effective, wellbeing and safety must become core objectives within platform design, rather than secondary considerations behind user engagement and advertising revenue.

 

Preparing children for a digital future – media literacy

Preparing children for a digital future – digital literacy

The onus should be on the companies behind social media platforms and AI chatbots to ensure their products are safe for children and young people – rather than expecting children to have to be prepared to navigate digital harms.

 

May 2026