How teenagers really feel about social media – from one himself.

Social media has long been vilified by parents, educators, and policymakers as a harmful force – a digital drug of sorts – jettisoning young people in a cycle of addiction, forcing them to spend countless hours in front of a screen. This perspective, while common, oversimplifies the reality of how youth engage on social media, and does not account for youth voice.

Amid rising social media engagement – with the average US teen spending 4.8 hours a day on social media – parental and legislative anxiety has intensified (and rightly so), prompting calls for heavy restrictions on smartphone and social media use. These measures, though well-intentioned, frequently backfire, which can exacerbating issues like diminished self-esteem, depression and, in extreme cases, even leading to tragic outcomes like suicide.

Recent examples from Utah, which has imposed a curfew on smartphone use, and proposed nationwide bans in schools across the US and UK, reveal a troubling trend: policymakers often lack direct input from the very demographic they seek to regulate. There is a disconnect between teens and politicians, politicians who often do not understand how teenagers use social media and their phones, and the potential benefits that may exist. These political figures wish to ban all social media and smartphones, and hope that the problem goes away. But this also reveals a deeper issue: many young people are numbing themselves with social media because they are struggling and there is a teenage mental health crisis that we need to address.

Currently, no universally accepted medical definition for social media addiction exists, and existing studies often reveal correlational rather than causational evidence. For example, we remain uncertain whether having anxiety drives social media usage or if social media produces anxiety. Scientifically, we cannot prove with absolute certainty that social media is causing the teen mental health crisis. And ironically, it is this misunderstanding of the impact of social media on users that is leading policy-makers to adopt such drastic measures: because we don't fully understand the impact of social media on teens — and adults for that matter.

I believe there are two main aspects of social media that are conducive to negative experiences online: deceptive patterns and harmful content. Deceptive patterns are design changes that social media platforms implement to keep their users "hooked." They include infinite scroll, notifications, like counts etc…. Harmful content on the other hand, is the content created by other users, which tech companies have a responsibility to moderate, and that lawmakers have a responsibility to enforce through legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) or the Online Safety Act (OSA) in the UK.

Most of what I have just mentioned is what I believe, as a teen online safety advocate, who has been deeply involved in these areas, through my advocacy work and academic research. I am aware that most teens do not all see social media that way, and that we all have diverse experiences. That is why I call upon lawmakers, educators and industry to speak with youth, consult with them, and implement the design changes that the teen users wish to see on the platforms where they constitute the main demographic.

Teens see social media as a vast terrain replete with opportunities for us to connect, educate ourselves, grow, and let our voices be heard. Our parents, educators, and lawmakers see it solely as a dangerous, polarizing and anxiety-inducing medium. And while that may be the case, (I hope in very limited circumstances): it's time for adults to listen to youth in all circumstances.