Screen Time During Adolescence: A Focus on Social Media
- Lisa Breedon
- Mar 24
- 6 min read
The period of adolescence once used to be considered just the teen years, 13 to 18, but we have seen an extension in the period of what is known as adolescence over the past few decades, showing that physiological changes such as puberty are beginning to start earlier, and modern research allows for a better understanding of this confusing life stage. Experts are now defining adolescents from as young as 10 and up to around age 24 (Sawyer et al., 2018) Brain development for example, especially within the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that is responsible for decision making, planning, and impulse control) is not completed until age 25 (Alain et al., 2013). Adolescence is a time for rapid development in all realms: biological, psychological and social, and each of these areas can impact the way adolescents use social media and screens, and in turn, how serious the risks and consequences may be for each unique individual. When discussing topics such as mental health, which is often a major focus for social workers and counsellors alike, taking into consideration how each of these areas impacts one another, and also including additional factors such as culture and how the society we live in can have an impact, are also important, as these aspects may often feel out of our control. Having an awareness of how all these areas relate to one another is important in addressing how parents and adolescents use screens and social media, and how collectively as a society we can do better to encourage a healthier lifestyle during an age range when lifelong habits can begin to form.
According to (Government du Quebec, 2025) Canadian organizations have pivoted from advising on a specific recommendation for total screen time for the adolescent years to instead analyzing the situation of each individual uniquely based on various factors. (Mayo Clinic, 2025), suggests some factors to consider when considering the risks of screen time and social media specifically for teens are:
What a teen sees and does online.
The amount of time spent online.
Psychological factors, such as maturity level and mental health conditions.
Personal life circumstances, including cultural, social and economic factors.
A lot of the research for adolescents and screen time indicates similar findings as in the younger years, with evidence around the correlation between physical health deterioration, particularly around lack of exercise, good nutrition and sleep, which is related to the amount of time spent online (Stiglic & Viner, 2019). There is moderate evidence for potential behavioural and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety (Stiglic & Viner, 2019), with some populations being affected worse than others, such as those with lower socioeconomic status or other predisposing factors. According to UNICEF Canada’s Report Card 16 (2020) which gathers information about the outcomes of children and youth from 38 of the wealthiest countries in the world, Canada came in at 30th overall, with 1 in 4 children having low life satisfaction, and with one of the highest rates of adolescent suicide, ranking at 35 out of the 38 countries. This report was published in 2020, prior to covid and before the massive serge in dependency on the internet (and particularly social media platforms) for social interaction during lockdowns, and has brought more attention to the importance for protection of children and adolescent mental health. Mitigating any threats to their wellness should be a priority!
It can be hard to pinpoint exactly the cause, but one thing we do know is that as the years go by, technology keeps evolving and capturing children and youth’s time and attention. Interestingly, one longitudinal analysis of data from youth in the United Kingdom that studied the impacts of social media over the life span found distinct developmental windows during which adolescents are especially sensitive to social media’s impact. During those windows—around 11 to 13 for girls and 14 to 15 for boys—more social media use predicts a decrease in life satisfaction a year later, while lower use predicts greater life satisfaction (Orben et al., 2022). This makes a lot of sense as young girls become increasingly attuned to things such as their body image, and the pressures to conform to edited and artificially generated images of women that are unattainable without attempting drastic and dangerous measures to meet such beauty standards projected onto them in our society, especially online.
There are many risks such as cyberbullying, oversharing of personal information or photos which can further increase the risk of bullying and victimization and online crime such as sexual exploitation or to become targets of scams if they are unaware of how to keep personal information safe. Some youth who may be struggling with severe mental health issues may seek online forums which are related to self-harm, suicide, and encourage eating disorders (Mayo Clinic, 2025).
Are there any positives?
Most of the pros focus on increasing access to positive forums or supports for groups of teens who may face more stigmatization in society such as the LGBTQ population for example, or those whose social opportunities are limited due to their ability to access them such as for teens who have medical issues or disabilities (Mayo Clinic, 2025). Otherwise, studies that indicate a strong indication of any real and drastic positives associated with screen time tend to be few and far between.
How to Recognize Issues with Your Adolescent’s Social Media and Screen Time Use?
The (American Psychological Association, 2025) has made several recommendations for adolescents, parents, and society overall to consider and integrate into their daily use of social media. See this link for several recommendations and further research that speaks to the topics discussed above:
One recommendation from the APA included in the above article that can alert both parents and adolescents to online behaviour to a developing issue with social media and screen time use is:
“Adolescents should be routinely screened for signs of “problematic social media use” that can impair their ability to engage in daily roles and routines and how they may present risk for more serious psychological harms over time.
Indicators of problematic social media use include:
a tendency to use social media even when adolescents want to stop, or realize it is interfering with necessary tasks
spending excessive effort to ensure continuous access to social media
strong cravings to use social media, or disruptions in other activities from missing social media use too much
repeatedly spending more time on social media than intended
lying or deceptive behavior to retain access to social media use
loss or disruption of significant relationships or educational opportunities because of media use
Social media use should not restrict opportunities to practice in-person reciprocal social interactions and should not contribute to psychological avoidance of in-person social interactions.”
(American Psychological Association, 2025)
Tip: Build on Protective Factors Using Psychoeducation Regarding Physical and Mental Health
As sleep is often mentioned as a major area of impact to both children and adolescents due to time spent online (as well as other physical health impacts) learning more about how sleep, (as well as exercise and nutrition) are related to mental health is a good place to start. Equipping parents and adolescents with knowledge to understand the reasons why it may be beneficial to limit their use of social media and screen time for the sake of their mental health by focusing on how it effects our sleep and overall mental health for example, motivates and empowers us all to put a healthy plan into action. (See our other blogs posts regarding healthy sleep tips, education, and how it can affect mental health!)
Additional Helpful Links and Community Resources
See the link below for some basic information around sleep and mental health:
Local Resource to increase prosocial, in-person activities:
Youth Hub:
References
American Psychological Association Website. (2025). Health Advisory On Social Media Use in Adolescence. https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use
Arain, M., Haque, M., Johal, L., Mathur, P., Nel, W., Rais, A., Sandhu, R., & Sharma, S. (2013). Maturation of the adolescent brain. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 9(default), 449–461. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S39776
Government du Quebec, 2025. Healthy Habits: Balanced screen use for children and teens. https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/healthy-lifestyle-habits/healthy-screen-habits-among-youth
Mayo Clinic Website. (2025) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437)
Orben, A., Przybylski, A. K., Blakemore, S.-J., & Kievit, R. A. (2022). Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media. Nature Communications, 13(1), 1649–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29296-3
Stiglic, N., & Viner, R. M. (2019). Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Open, 9(1), e023191–e023191. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023191
Sawyer, S. M., Azzopardi, P. S., Wickremarathne, D., & Patton, G. C. (2018). The age of adolescence. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2(3), 223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30022-1
UNICEF Canada. 2020. Worlds Apart: Canadian Summary of UNICEF Report Card 16. UNICEF, Canada. Toronto. https://www.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/2023-06/Report%20Card%2016%20Canadian%20Summary.pdf
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