Social media is not wholly terrible for teen mental health, study says

We know that social media can be harmful to teens. Meta has found in its own research that Instagram makes body image worse for one in three teen girls, and Snapchat has been sued several times for not doing enough to mitigate cyberbullying. Even the former U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the risk of youth social media use. But a new report shows how social media can sometimes have positive impacts on teenagers, despite its harms. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 74% of U.S. teens said social media makes them feel more connected to their friends, with 63% saying that online platforms give them a place to express their creativity. As the U.S. government tries to pass legislation targeted at changing teens’ experience online, this data shows how some teens find social media to be a positive influence. A possible explanation for this data could be that teens feel more free to express themselves online than they may in school or at home. One study c ... Read full article.