Article Link: Does Social Media Make Teens Unhappy? It May Depend on Their Age

A large study in Britain found two specific windows of adolescence when some teenagers are most sensitive to social media.

Over the past few years, as the cold glow of a smartphone has followed more and more adolescents from bedroom to school and back again, parents have fretted over the technology’s influence. And no wonder, with Facebook researchers covertly studying how its apps erode girls’ body image, doctors describing TikTok-induced tic disorders, and prosecutors and lawmakers pledging to hold social media companies responsible for harming children.

But in the background, a quieter scientific discussion has questioned whether social media is doing much harm at all. While a few researchers have claimed that digital technology is a powerful, causal factor in the rising rates of mental health problems, others have countered that the risk of harm for most teenagers is tiny — about the equivalent influence on well-being as wearing eyeglasses or regularly eating potatoes, one group calculated.

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Discussion Questions:

1. Identify three key takeaways from the article. What did you find most interesting?
2. What were the key findings that resulted from the study?
3. Do you think social media has a negative impact on teens social-emotional well-being?

Source: Virginia Hughes “www.nytimes.com” March 31, 2022.