Social media harms kids, says most evidence

"The preponderance of the evidence points to this conclusion: social media is not safe for adolescents. Young people say social media is harmful and they regret their level of engagement with it, while Gen Z kids in particular describe the levels of harms they're exposed to on social media as high."

"The evidence from social media firms that proves they know their products are harmful is plentiful. Internal reports from Meta showing it knew Facebook and Instagram were harmful to kids' mental health but allegedly buried the reports, quotations from TikTok executives and internal docs presented in court, as well as similar documentation from Snap."

A metastudy in the 2026 World Happiness Report by Jonathan Haidt and Zachary Rausch analyzed prior research on social media's mental health effects on adolescents aged 10-19. The analysis reviewed comments from young people, parents, teachers, and clinicians, alongside academic studies and social media company documents. Young people report social media is harmful and regret their engagement levels, while parents and educators share similar concerns. Internal reports from Meta, TikTok, and Snap reveal these companies knew their products caused mental health harm. Academic research corroborates anecdotal evidence linking social media use to mental health problems, leading researchers to conclude social media is unsafe for adolescents.

Read at Theregister