The Messy Truth About Teen Social Media Use and Suicide Risk

When I tell people my research focuses on social media, sleep, and suicide prevention, they often assume I’m going to tell them that social media is harmful or simply "bad" for teens. They expect me to agree that social media is the root cause of why rates of depression and suicide are increasing among teens today. In reality, I won’t say this, because this conclusion is not supported by existing research. But, here are a few things we do know about social media and suicide risk so far:

1. We do have some evidence that social media affects teens’ sleep timing (i.e., when they go to sleep) and quality. Sleep is very important for teens and one of the most important risk factors for future suicide risk.
2. Social media is associated with risk for having suicidal thoughts for teens who experience cyberbullying. A meta-analysis of research studies found this to be the strongest predictor of suicide-related outcomes.
3. Social media is linked with suicidal thoughts and behaviors for teens who engage with more suicide-related and self-harm content on social media (which may include those who are seeking out this content and simply coming across it).

I know we want simple truths, but the truth is that social media is not simple and it does not exist in a vacuum. There are many things we still don’t know about social media and suicide risk.

1. There is not enough research on suicide risk and social media “screen time” (or how long teens use social media in a typical day), and even less research that uses designs to tease apart whether teens' social media use contributes to suicide risk, or whether youth who are already at risk are using more social media.
2. Social media is more than just one platform and behavior. It is just as much connecting with your best friend and sending your sister a funny video as it is scrolling endlessly and coming across upsetting content determined by algorithms. We need to better understand the specific behaviors, features, and experiences on social media, and recognize that every teen will have individual and unique experiences!
3. Social media may have different effects on teens who are at high risk for suicide. Our study was one of the few prospective studies on this topic, where we measured social media use at one time point and suicidal thoughts weekly over the next four weeks. In this study, we found that social media use actually may be protective for teens who are at high risk for suicide, and not using social media may be a sign of social withdrawal or disconnection. In this sense, social media may provide teens with social support, engagement, and even mental health and crisis resources that can be life-saving.

So, what does this all mean? Perhaps we need to stop searching for simple truths about "social media" and embrace its messiness and complexity. After all, I bet many parents and policymakers (including those seeking to ban it) can recognize the benefits of social media, or else why are we all still using it? We also need to recognize the context in which teens have developed. Teens today were in middle school during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social media was the only way to stay socially connected. Years later, we are now trying to take away the very thing that we (adults) told them to use for socialization and learning.

If we stop thinking about social media as the root of all teens’ mental health problems (it isn’t), we can shift our focus away from unhelpful policies that take away and limit “social media use” for all teens. Perhaps, instead, we can use our collective energy and power to actively make social media better to support and improve teens’ mental health.

If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7 dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.