Nowadays most kids live on their digital devices. Some data show that the social media could play a role in their mental health—something that has been on the decrease among teens and tweens. But how big a role it plays also appears to depend on how kids choose to use it.
In recent years, the internet has done some great things. It's brought people closer together. It's helped people form big communities in the world. And it can be an important place for people to find support and connection.
But some adolescents（青少年）can be exposed to something harmful. For example, one 2022 survey found that nearly half of all teens have been cyberbullied（网络欺凌）online. The same survey found that nearly two in every three adolescents experienced hate-based content on social media.
Social media is also a space where people are repeatedly comparing themselves to others. Am I pretty enough? Strong enough? One study of kids 13 to 17 years old found that almost half reported that time spent on social media made them feel worse about their bodies. Only about one in every seven said viewing social media made them feel better.
"It's hard to study the influence of social media on mental health," Whitlock, a research psychologist studying internet use by adolescents, explains, "because everyone uses it." There's no large group of others to which researchers can compare them. Still, one study of nearly 6,600 U.S. teens linked use of social media to depression, anxiety and a poor body image.
There's still not enough evidence to say social media is safe for kids, but there was plenty of evidence to warn kids that they should take care when using it. The takeaway, Whitlock says, is that social media use needs to be intentional（有意的）. By that, she means "used for some purposeful goal", not just to pass the time.
