Encourage face-to-face contact with friends.

Talk to your teen about what is appropriate and safe to share on social media. Discourage your teen from gossiping, spreading rumors, bullying or damaging someone's reputation - online or otherwise. You might aim to do so once a week or more. Let your teen know that you'll be regularly checking his or her social media accounts. Set an example by following these rules yourself. Encourage a bedtime routine that avoids electronic media use, and keep cellphones and tablets out of teens' bedrooms. Talk to your teen about how to avoid letting social media interfere with his or her activities, sleep, meals or homework. There are steps you can take to encourage responsible use of social media and limit some of its negative effects. Teens often create posts without considering these consequences or privacy concerns. This can result in teens being bullied, harassed or even blackmailed.

But the more time the students spent going out with their friends, the less they felt this way.īecause of teens' impulsive natures, experts suggest that teens who post content on social media are at risk of sharing intimate photos or highly personal stories. Those who used social media to interact with others or post their own content didn't experience these declines.Īnd an older study on the impact of social media on undergraduate college students showed that the longer they used Facebook, the stronger was their belief that others were happier than they were. In addition, a small 2013 study found that older adolescents who used social media passively, such as by just viewing others' photos, reported declines in life satisfaction.

A 2015 study found that social comparison and feedback seeking by teens using social media and cellphones was linked with depressive symptoms. How teens use social media also might determine its impact. A 2016 study of more than 450 teens found that greater social media use, nighttime social media use and emotional investment in social media - such as feeling upset when prevented from logging on - were each linked with worse sleep quality and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Other studies also have observed links between high levels of social media use and depression or anxiety symptoms.

Books on effects of social media