Youth and Social Media

Youth & Social Media

In 2022-2023, we interviewed clinicians and professionals who work with youth on their perceptions about social media use. These stakeholders shared about the positive and negative aspects that teens may face when using social media. 

Importantly, the benefits include connecting with friends and having an outlet to share interests and explore who they are. The most prominent risk shared was cyber-victimization and seeing content that was harmful to teens’ well-being or self-esteem. We share more about these perspectives and resources to help teens navigate social media in safe and healthy ways in the following presentations. 

Youth & Social Media Resources

There are many resources available to parents, clinicians, and teens on how to navigate social media use. See the following links for more resources. Let us know if you’d like to share additional links or request specific information to be shared by emailing us here at __________________________(email address to come).  

Teens Stress III

For Parents & Adolescents

Cyberbullying Invisible Bully

For Parents of Children Being Cyberbullied

For Clinicians

Support for this site and our community-engaged research was provided by MICHR (NIH grant number UM1TR004404).

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Youth & Social Media Resources

For Parents & Adolescents

 

American Psychological Association

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media has many resources on healthy digital and social media use, across childhood. Here are some links that may be helpful as it relates to social media use. We recommend you check out the whole site!


Stopbullying.gov 

A great resource from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, specific to helping teens who may be experiencing cyber-bullying.  


American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)

American Academy of Pediatrics

U.S. Surgeon General 

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Youth & Social Media Resources

For Parents of Children Being Cyberbullied

Cyberbullying Research Center

The Cyberbullying Research Center uses research on the cause and effect of cyberbullying to  provide resources to parents and students. 


Safe Social Network

Safe Social Network provides resources to parents to help teens have a safe online presence.


Internet Matters

Need help with setting up parental controls and helping your child stay safe online? Internet Matters, started by parents in partnership with tech companies, offers guidance.

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Youth & Social Media Resources

For Clinicians

Clinicians, build your social media support toolkit with the following resources.


Digital Wellness Lab

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Social Media and Mental Health: How to Support Teens Use Social Media in Safe and Healthy Ways

This September 2023 Pearls for Partners session reviewed current research on social media and adolescent mental health, outlining risk factors and ways that clinicians can support teens. Content shared included strategies for identifying risky or harmful social media useand how adults can help adolescents use social media in healthy ways.