Teens who report having strong, high-quality friendships are more likely to enjoy better mental health, with the influence of peer relationships found to be nearly three times stronger than the impact of social media use, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
As social media becomes an increasingly significant part of teenage life, concerns about its effect on mental well-being have grown. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about the potential risks that social media poses to youth mental health. However, new research suggests that the quality of a teen’s friendships plays a far more critical role in shaping their mental health outcomes than their time spent online.
“Social media use does not occur in a vacuum—it’s one piece of a much larger picture,” explained Dr. Courtney K. Blackwell, a researcher at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “Our study found that peer relationships seem to matter a lot more than social media when it comes to teen mental health outcomes.”
The study highlights the importance of strong, supportive friendships in fostering positive mental health. Teens who report close, healthy friendships tend to experience better mental well-being, regardless of their social media activity. On the other hand, teens with weaker social connections but similar levels of social media usage tend to report poorer mental health. In comparison, the time spent on social media appeared to have a significantly smaller effect on their overall mental health.
Researchers surveyed 963 teens, aged 13 to 18, from across the United States about their social media habits, the quality of their peer relationships, and their mental health. They found that social media use—whether active, involving posting and commenting, or passive, involving scrolling and browsing—was less influential than the strength of the teens’ friendships. The teens’ mental health was assessed using tools like the PROMIS assessment and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which measured life satisfaction, sense of purpose, depression symptoms, and friendship quality.
The study’s findings come amid growing concerns about the amount of time teens spend on social media. A 2021 national survey cited by the U.S. Surgeon General found that teens spent an average of 3.5 hours daily on social media. By 2023, that figure had increased to 4.8 hours per day, according to a Gallup survey of 13- to 19-year-olds.
Dr. Blackwell suggests that efforts to address the youth mental health crisis should focus not just on limiting social media use, but also on improving the quality of teens’ peer relationships. “Instead of just focusing on limiting adolescents’ social media use, perhaps emphasizing ways to bolster the quality of their social relationships would help address the current youth mental health crisis in the U.S.,” she said.
Looking ahead, the research team plans to study how social media use and mental health evolve over time in adolescence. Future studies could further explore the link between peer relationships and mental health, potentially offering new pathways for improving teen mental well-being.
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