“What advice would you give to young people who are new to social media?”
“Have you ever felt like you need to change your social media use…?”
Teens and young adults from across the country answered these questions in a text survey in 2020. Their answers are eye-opening.
“I would tell young people … the internet is far off from reality and the more time you spend on it, the more you forget what real life is actually like…,” one person wrote.
“Don’t let social media control your life or your self-esteem,” another texted.
The study, published in September, reveals a striking awareness about the potential harms social media can have on teenagers’ mental health, but also their persistent attempts to counter these harms.
