Social Media Safety Concerns for Adolescents

This report addresses the safety of social media use among adolescents and examines the significant mental health risks associated with it. The authors present seven lines of evidence indicating that social media is not safe for adolescents, highlighting both direct harms, such as exposure to graphic content and cyberbullying, and indirect harms, including increased risks of depression and anxiety. The text discusses the average time adolescents spend on social media and questions whether such usage is safe, defining safety in terms of the risk of mental health issues. The authors argue that harms are widespread and affect millions of young users, leading to changes at the population level in adolescent mental health. Additionally, the document raises a historical trends question regarding whether the rise of social media contributed to increases in mental illness among adolescents since the early 2010s. The report concludes by asserting the need for policymakers to take action based on the substantial evidence presented.