Further resources
Reputable places to go deeper. We favor public health bodies, professional associations, and peer-reviewed research, and we include thoughtful voices on more than one side of the debate.
Research and reports
- Social Media and Youth Mental Health U.S. Surgeon General, 2023
The advisory that brought national attention to the issue, with recommendations for families, companies, and policymakers.
- Social Media and Adolescent Health National Academies, 2023
A careful review of the evidence that emphasizes how effects vary from person to person.
- Teens, Social Media and Mental Health Pew Research Center, 2025
What teens and their parents say about social media's effects, in their own words.
- Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025 Pew Research Center, 2025
The latest data on which platforms teens use and how often.
- Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence American Psychological Association, 2023
Research-based recommendations for healthy use during adolescence.
For parents and families
- Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health American Academy of Pediatrics
Tip sheets, a question-and-answer portal for parents, and materials in Spanish.
- Family Media Plan American Academy of Pediatrics
A free interactive tool for setting media priorities as a family.
- Common Sense Media Nonprofit
Age-based reviews and guides to apps, platforms, and parental controls.
Tools on your phone
- Screen Time on iPhone and iPad Apple Support
How to see your usage, set app limits, and schedule downtime.
- Digital Wellbeing on Android Google
Dashboards, app timers, bedtime mode, and focus mode.
Organizations
- Center for Humane Technology Nonprofit
Explains how persuasive design works and advocates for technology that respects attention.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline National crisis network
Free, 24/7 support by call, text, or chat.
- NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness
Education, support groups, and a helpline for individuals and families.
Books worth reading
- Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. A practical philosophy for using technology intentionally, including a 30-day "declutter."
- Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke, MD. A Stanford psychiatrist on compulsive overconsumption in an age of abundance.
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. A widely read argument that smartphones and social media reshaped childhood. Some researchers have challenged its causal claims, most prominently developmental psychologist Candice Odgers in a 2024 review in Nature, and reading both views is worthwhile.
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