Just when parents thought nothing could convince young people to reduce their social media use, here’s an idea that could work.
Teenagers and young adults who saw warnings that social media could harm their health said they were discouraged from using social media and more informed of the potential consequences, according to a study published earlier this month in the medical journal JAMA Health Forum.
In the national study, 13- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 29-year-olds were shown messages about how social media has not been proven safe and can cause addiction, negative body image, sleep disruption, depression, anxiety and overall mental health harms. Participants in both age groups said all the messages used in the research were effective.
Warnings about overall mental health and depression and anxiety were most persuasive, said senior study author Dr. Thomas Robinson, Irving Schulman, MD Endowed Professor in Child Health and professor of pediatrics and medicine at Stanford University. Participants also saw messages about voluntarily taking social media breaks, which were less effective, he said.
A limitation of the study is that it asked participants to anticipate their behavior rather than measuring what they did, Robinson said. However, the questions in this research have been asked in other studies, he added, and they have been reliable predictors of behavior.
The findings are the first time a study has measured the effects of social media warnings, Robinson said. Since they seem to be persuasive, parents who are concerned about how social media might affect their children could consider asking elected officials for legislation and regulation that could include these types of warnings, he said.
The responsibility for handling the potential harms of social media use shouldn’t just fall on parents and kids, Robinson pointed out.
The study comes on the heels of Meta’s landmark agreement in August to pay $18 billion to settle multistate claims that it designed its platforms to addict kids and harm their mental health. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram did not admit wrongdoing and said ensuring teen safety is a priority.
The settlement is a “watershed moment, because for the first time, I think there’s some momentum that’s built behind trying to push for broader regulation and legislation,” Robinson said.
Still, warnings alone are unlikely to make young people use social media less.
If “a warning pops up, and you’ve never seen it before, it will stop and make you think,” said Dr. Melissa Greenberg, a clinical psychologist and founder of Princeton Psychotherapy Center in New Jersey, who was not involved with the new study. Eventually, however, the novelty will wear off. “People stop seeing the things that are always there,” Greenberg said.
Also, social media affects kids differently, so they need different types of warnings, she said. Your teen might need a talk specifically about body image or violence seen online.
That’s why, if you choose to let your kids use social media, it’s good to maintain an ongoing conversation with them, she said.
These discussions should start at a younger age than you might think, Greenberg said — probably around 7 or 8 years old. “Kids are usually a step ahead of the adults in these things,” she said.
Start by asking your children if they’ve heard of social media, Greenberg said. If so, it’s time to have the talk.
Even if you don’t talk about it at home, kids might learn about social media at friends’ homes, be exposed to games they can check out at the library or be told at an extracurricular activity that their photos are being posted on social media.
If your kid does use social media, check in regularly about how it’s going. Often conversations focus on how much time children are on screens and parents forget to ask about the content they’re seeing, Greenberg said.
Ask your kid questions such as “What are you doing? What’s appealing about it? What do you like? Is there anything that you find distressing?” Greenberg suggested.
Keep in mind that kids may not have the language to tell you how it’s really affecting them, she said. They might not realize that chasing likes on social media posts is giving them anxiety or making them feel irritable because they think no one likes them. That’s why it’s important to follow up.
Remember the book and movie “Thank You for Smoking,” in which the main character, who represents Big Tobacco, wants to tell kids their parents don’t want them to smoke because he thinks it will make them want to smoke more? I asked Greenberg whether there’s a risk that if parents discuss the kinds of warnings in this study with their offspring it could cause kids to want to rebel by using social media.
She hasn’t seen this happen in her practice, she said. I have also never heard of it happening from any talks I’ve given to parents across the country about how to handle their kids’ social media use.
Young people who get addicted to social media get sucked in and lose track of time, Greenberg said, similar to adults. Children probably don’t see it as a way of acting out against their parents because their parents use it, too, she added.
Now that we know warnings can be effective, I recommend talking to your kids about the potential harms of using social media — and talking to elected officials, too. A lot of us would appreciate help managing the effects of social media on our kids.
Kara Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University and advises parents, students and teachers on how to manage screen time. Her book “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back” was published in 2024.
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