Social Media and Teens: How Parents Can Counteract its Effect on Mental Health 


By Jennifer Rudo, Teen Outreach Coordinator, Jewish Community Services 

teenage girl on phone

The other night a parent shared with me that she hates social media because even though her daughter says it makes her feel bad about her body and sad, she is being left out of group activities with her peers, she still can’t live without it.  

My response was that love it or hate it, social media is around to stay. So, let’s talk about how your daughter can use it to empower herself.  

There are different platforms that different age groups prefer, but almost all of us use it in one form or another. And teens use social media more than any other group.  

Almost half of US teenagers aged 13-17 say they are online ‘almost constantly.’ according to a new Pew Research Center survey. The most popular social media platforms among this age group are YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram, with less than a third using Facebook.  

Affecting our Teens 

The constant use of social media can affect teens with their personal development socially and emotionally

Many studies found strong links between heavy social media use and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm and potentially suicide. Social media portrays a false sense of reality and can create negative thoughts for teens about their bodies, friendships and intimate relationships. 

Teens can also use social media as a ‘weapon’ to make other teens feel left out by purposely posting a picture of a party that only a select group was invited to. There can even be an elevation to bullying by posting inappropriate pictures of others or commenting in a negative way on a picture.  

Many teens that have been diagnosed with an eating disorder say that social media played a role in their feelings toward their bodies. 

What Can Parents Do 

It’s important to be friends with your child on social media so you can monitor their friends, pictures and comments that are posted. Make sure that you keep an open dialogue with your teen about filters, alterations and staged photos so they realize that what they see on social media is very often a doctored image.  

Spending an exorbitant amount of time online can lead to anxiety and depression. Parents should encourage their teens to put down their phones and take breaks from social media. 

We need to put a priority on showing our teens the difference between quality relationships that build over time and take effort, versus online clicks with followers which may provide instant gratification but fade quickly when there is nothing to compound it.  

As teens start to form their identity, it’s important to encourage them to be aware of what they want to put out as their identity to the world on social media.  

For instance, when a teen came up to me at a program on social media, they said that they feel more judged on what they post than on their actions. I will explain that using social media is a tool to create your brand. 

Think of all of our favorite brands and what we love about what they show us. Then think about the ones that sometimes fall flat.  

Reminding teens that they have the power to follow people and companies that they relate to is important rather than following an actress or model that makes you feel bad about your body, your house or anything else.  

Social media can be used to boost your self-esteem and connection by following health and wellness sites or social action groups that align with your values. Most importantly, teens now are getting back together in-person, making eye contact and smiling at people. Because as we learned during Covid-19, nothing compares to being together in person. 


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