It really is the phone: The impact of social media on youth mental health

Introduction: 

Gen Z has generally been dubbed as the generation with “the worst mental health”. The World Health Organisation states that one in 7 teenagers experiences mental disorders, making up 15% of global disease burden in this age group. Among those aged 15 to 29 year old, suicide is the third leading cause of death and depression is the leading cause of illness and disability. Compared to our parents’ generation, we are far less likely to describe our mental health as “excellent”, according to CNN. 

This concerning decline in youth today’s mental health leaves one wondering whether it is simply due to increased visibility and reduced stigma or perhaps related to the fact that Gen Z spends the most time on social media compared to other generations. In 2024, Gen Z’s social media usage grew 7.7%, multiple times of the overall U.S. population’s 1.8%. Gen Z’s average screen time has also been estimated to be around 7 - 9 hours per day, about ⅓ of our daily 24 hours. 

How social media might be affecting mental health

Youths are faced with tremendous social, political, and economic volatility, and doomscrolling has emerged as an solution for youths to remove themselves from reality while engaging in a mindless activity. With negativity driving news consumption and social media engagement, the media has a propensity to blast mostly bad news.

A 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report highlights that 84% of Gen Z individuals get their news from social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Only 26% of Gen Z report watching TV news regularly, and an even smaller percentage read print newspapers.

Due to COVID-19, when Gen Z was at the age of developing emotional and social skills, they were confined to their homes, seeking connection and respite on social media.. Many youths who are consuming short-form content as a form of emotional regulation by getting a quick laugh are also being bombarded by an entourage of less-than-hopeful news. Combining the lack of emotional regulation skills and the constant consumption of negatively valent content, it is no surprise that youths are suffering mentally. 

What to replace doomscrolling with:

As our school holidays begin, we will gain more control over our schedules and many may find an abundance of free time on their hands. Instead of spending these hours mindlessly consuming short-form media, we raise you the following activities:

1. Personal Curriculum

Taking a page out of social media’s book, the Personal Curriculum is a concept that started on TikTok. It entails a self-designed syllabus. Instead of following a formal or standard coursework, you create your own learning module, focusing on any topic that you are interested in, be it an academic concept or a new skill. After deciding on your topic, select a variety of learning modalities, such as books, podcasts, video essays, articles, and even online courses, provided they are long-form content. Be sure to track your progress and reflect on your learning!

2. Touch grass (literally)

The next time you feel like reaching for your phone and spending hours scrolling, take a walk instead. During this walk, don’t focus on any specific destination; try to interact with your surroundings instead. You can bring along a notebook and a colouring pencil to carry out leaf rubbing (place paper over a leaf with its veiny side up and rub the colouring pencil over the paper for the texture and shape of the leaf to appear). If you see fallen leaves or flowers on the ground, bring them home in a pouch to make some pressed leaves/flowers. 

3. Start penpalling (with Cherishing Youth perhaps)

While social media gives us the power to connect with people from around the world, it is not the only means of doing so. Social media should not be used as your sole coping mechanism. Mixing in a traditional form of connection like penpalling can help make your social media usage healthier and enrich your life!

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, social media has been irreversibly integrated into our lives. Completely purging its use is not only ineffective but an act of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The key takeaway to keep in mind is to be mindful of the media you are consuming. By passively accepting content, you are giving the power to control your thoughts and feelings over to the App. Diversify your media consumption, find more engaging pastimes and when you are scrolling, make sure to continuously question what you are watching and keep your mind active. Social media is an amoral platform, let us put in effort to ensure we are using it healthily!

References:

Rand, S. (2025, July 15). Understanding US Gen Z media consumption trends: Insights for brands. Attest. https://www.askattest.com/blog/research/gen-z-media-consumption 

Salamon, M. (2024, September 1). Doomscrolling dangers. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/doomscrolling-dangers 

Shaw, J. (2025, October 23). From Headlines to Hyperlinks: The Shifting Dynamics of News Consumption and Trust. | Kadence. Kadence. https://kadence.com/knowledge/from-headlines-to-hyperlinks-the-shifting-dynamics-of-news-consumption-and-trust/ 

Shoichet, C. (2023, September 14). Does Gen Z struggle more with mental health than millennials? New polling shows signs of a shift. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/14/health/gen-z-mental-health-gallup-wellness-cec 

Watson, J., Van Der Linden, S., Watson, M., & Stillwell, D. (2024). Negative online news articles are shared more to social media. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 21592. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-71263-z 

World Health Organization: WHO. (2025, September 1). Mental health of adolescents. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health