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A Consensus Statement on Potential Negative Impacts of Smartphone and Social Media Use on Adolescent Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Capraro, Valerio

    (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Department of Psychology)

  • Globig, Laura

    (New York University (NYU) - New York University)

  • Rausch, Zachary

    (New York University (NYU))

  • Rathje, Steve

    (New York University (NYU))

  • Wormley, Alexandra

    (University of Michigan)

  • Olson, Jay

    (University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada)

  • Ross, Robert

    (Macquarie University)

  • Aşçı, Sinan

    (Dublin City University)

  • Bouguettaya, Ayoub

    (Cedars Sinai Medical Center)

  • Burnell, Kaitlyn

    (University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - University of North Carolina School of Law)

  • Choukas-Bradley, Sophia

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Fardouly, Jasmine

    (The University of Sydney)

  • Kowert, Rachel

    (University of York)

  • Lopez, Richard

    (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

  • Maheux, Anne

    (University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - University of North Carolina School of Law)

  • Mirea, Dan-Mircea

    (Princeton University - Princeton University)

  • Ozimek, Phillip

    (Ruhr University of Bochum - Mental Health Research and Treatment Center)

  • Selterman, Dylan

    (John Hopkins University)

  • Thiagarajan, Tara

    (Sapien Labs)

  • Vandenbosch, Laura

    (KU Leuven)

  • Wals, Sammy

    (RWTH Aachen University)

  • Abi-Jaoude, Elia

    (University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada)

  • Adler, Perry

    (Jewish General Hospital, Montreal)

  • Alaimo, Kara

    (Fairleigh Dickinson University)

  • Allem, Jon-Patrick

    (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - School of Public Health)

  • Ashrafi, Vahid

    (Stevens Institute of Technology - School of Business)

  • Baumgartner, Susanne E.

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Bender, Patrick

    (Aalborg University)

  • Bernstein, Gaia

    (Seton Hall Law School)

  • Bhanot, Syon

    (Swarthmore College)

  • Bilek, Emily

    (University of Michigan)

  • Boivin, Michel

    (Université Laval)

  • Braghieri, Luca

    (Bocconi University - Department of Decision Sciences)

  • Brailovskaia, Julia

    (Ruhr University of Bochum)

  • Brienza, Justin

    (University of Queensland)

  • Bunker, Cameron

    (Emerson College)

  • Cadario, Romain

    (Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management)

  • Campos-Castillo, Celeste

    (University of Washington)

  • Chein, Jason

    (Temple University)

  • Clark, Lynn

    (University of Denver)

  • Colditz, Jason

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Coulson, Mark

    (University of West London)

  • Bue, Amelia Couture

    (University of Maine)

  • Coyne, Sarah M.

    (Brigham Young University, School of Family Life)

  • Curran, Thomas

    (London School of Economics)

  • Daalmans, Serena

    (Radboud University Nijmegen - Radboud University Nijmegen)

  • Davenport, Diag

    (UC Berkeley)

  • David, Meredith

    (Baylor University)

  • Davis, Chris

    (Carleton University)

  • Davis, Katie

    (University of Washington - The Information School)

  • Choudhury, Munmun De

    (Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Interactive Computing)

  • Derksen, Tim

    (University of Alberta - School of Business)

  • Dezső, Linda

    (Danube University Krems)

  • Domoff, Sarah E.

    (University at Albany, SUNY)

  • Ellithorpe, Morgan

    (University of Delaware)

  • Englander, Elizabeth K.

    (Bridgewater State University)

  • Farivar, Samira

    (Carleton University)

  • Fernández-Kranz, Daniel

    (IE Business School)

  • Fisher, Jacob

    (Michigan State University)

  • Gabrielli, Joy

    (University of Florida)

  • Gentile, Douglas

    (Iowa State University)

  • Gentzkow, Matthew

    (Stanford University)

  • Giuntella, Osea

    (University of Oxford)

  • Gjoneska, Biljana

    (Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts)

  • Green, Melanie

    (University at Buffalo)

  • Hale, Lauren

    (State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook)

  • Haltigan, John

    (University of Buckingham)

  • Hamilton, Jessica

    (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - School of Arts and Sciences)

  • Hartmann, Tilo

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Hilbig, Benjamin

    (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau)

  • Hinshaw, Stephen P.

    (University of California, Berkeley - Department of Psychology)

  • Hmurovic, Jillian

    (Pennsylvania State University)

  • Hoffman, Beth

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Hornsey, Matthew

    (University of Queensland)

  • Hunt, Melissa

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Janicke-Bowles, Sophie

    (Chapman University)

  • Kim, El-Lim

    (Franklin and Marshall College)

  • Kuss, Daria J.

    (Nottingham Trent University)

  • Lee, David S.

    (State University of New York (SUNY) - University at Buffalo)

  • Levy, Ro'ee

    (Tel Aviv University - Eitan Berglas School of Economics)

  • Maani, Nason

    (University of Edinburgh)

  • Makarin, Alexey

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management; Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR))

  • Mendelson, Tamar

    (Johns Hopkins University - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Students)

  • Michikyan, Minas

    (California State University)

  • Miconi, Diana

    (McGill University - Department of Psychiatry)

  • Milani, Luca

    (Catholic University of Milan)

  • Modecki, Kathryn

    (University of Western Australia)

  • Molnar, Andras

    (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Psychology)

  • Navarro, Jessica

    (Elon University)

  • Pagliarani, Stefano

    (DEAMS, Università di Trieste)

  • Paquin, Vincent

    (McGill University)

  • Parry, Douglas

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Pavic, Nicholas

    (Flinders University)

  • Pila, Sarah

    (Northwestern University)

  • Potenza, Marc N.

    (Yale University - Department of Psychiatry)

  • Potrebny, Thomas

    (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences)

  • Primack, Brian

    (University of Pittsburgh - Medical Center (UPMC))

  • Reed, Phil

    (Swansea University - Department of Psychology)

  • Roth, Yefim

    (University of Haifa)

  • Rutledge, Pamela

    (Fielding Graduate University, Media Psychology; Media Psychology Research Center)

  • Sabatini, Fabio

    (Sapienza University of Rome)

  • Sandra, Dasha

    (University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada)

  • Sazhin, Daniel

    (Temple University)

  • Shensa, Ariel

    (University of Pittsburgh - School of Medicine)

  • Shrum, L. J.

    (HEC Paris)

  • Shtudiner, Ze'ev

    (Ariel University - Department of Economics)

  • Sina, Elida

    (Freiburg University)

  • Sobolev, Michael

    (Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, University of Southern California)

  • Somogyi, Eszter

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • Song, Lena

    (The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Thai, Helen

    (McGill University)

  • Thrul, Johannes

    (Johns Hopkins University - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

  • Tiggemann, Marika

    (Flinders University)

  • Truzoli, Roberto

    (University of Milan)

  • VanderWeele, Tyler J.

    (Harvard University; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

  • Veissiere, Samuel

    (Université du Québec)

  • Vidal, Carol

    (John Hopkins University)

  • Vranka, Marek

    (Prague University of Economics and Business; Charles University in Prague)

  • Watson, Joshua

    (Texas A&M University (TAMU), Central Texas)

  • Wegmann, Elisa

    (University of Duisburg-Essen)

  • Weigle, Paul

    (Hartford HealthCare)

  • Whitted, Whitney

    (Ohio State University (OSU))

  • Wilksch, Simon

    (Flinders University)

  • Williams, Mark

    (Macquarie University)

  • Zhang, Ning

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Zimmermann, Laura

    (IE University)

  • Kross, Ethan

    (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor)

  • Haidt, Jonathan

    (New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business)

  • Van, Jay J.

    (New York University (NYU) - Department of Psychology & Neural Science)

Abstract

The impact of smartphones and social media use on adolescent mental health remains widely debated. To clarify expert opinion, we convened over 120 international researchers from 11 disciplines, representing a broad range of views. Using a Delphi method, the panel evaluated 26 claims covering international trends in adolescent mental health, causal links to smartphones and social media, and policy recommendations. The experts suggested 1,400 references and produced a consensus statement for each claim. The following conclusions were rated as accurate or somewhat accurate by 92–97% of respondents: First, adolescent mental health has declined in several Western countries over the past 20 years. Second, heavy smartphone and social media use can cause sleep problems. Third, smartphone and social media use correlate with attention problems and behavioural addiction. Fourth, among girls, social media use may be associated with body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, exposure to mental disorders, and risk of sexual harassment and predation. Fifth, evidence on social deprivation and relational aggression is limited. Sixth, the evidence for policies like age restrictions and school bans is preliminary. Overall, the results of this deliberative process and the set of concrete recommendations provided can help guide future research and evidence-informed policy on adolescent technology use.

Suggested Citation

  • Capraro, Valerio & Globig, Laura & Rausch, Zachary & Rathje, Steve & Wormley, Alexandra & Olson, Jay & Ross, Robert & Aşçı, Sinan & Bouguettaya, Ayoub & Burnell, Kaitlyn & Choukas-Bradley, Sophia & Fa, 2025. "A Consensus Statement on Potential Negative Impacts of Smartphone and Social Media Use on Adolescent Mental Health," HEC Research Papers Series 1567, HEC Paris.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:heccah:1567
    DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.5256747
    Note: Declaration of Interest Laura K. Globig reports supported by a grant from Google Inc., a grant from the Roddenberry Foundation, and the Dana Foundation. Zach Rausch reports he is Jonathan Haidt’s chief researcher. Steve Rathje reports: “provided consulting for the state of New Mexico regarding a case related to Meta”. Robert M. Ross. discloses support for the research of this work from the John Templeton Foundation [grant number 62631]. Kaitlyn Burnell reports: “has served as a paid consultant on social media litigation”. Anne Maheux reports: “I am supported in part by the Winston Family Foundation.” Dylan Selterman reports: “I was hired by Snap Inc. in 2024 to provide expert consultation with regards to the science of social media use and well-being as part of ongoing litigation.” Jon-Patrick Allem reports: “I have received fees for consulting services in court cases involving social media content. I have no other conflicts of interest to disclose.” Gaia Bernstein reports: “Board Member Fairplay for Kids”. Sarah Domoff reports: “Dr. Domoff was on the board of the Smart Gen Society until May 2024. In 2023, Dr. Domoff consulted with Pixel Digital Health, LLC, on their school-based prevention curriculum.” Matthew Gentzkow reports: “In the past five years, Matthew Gentzkow has been a paid consultant for Amazon and done economic consulting for Analysis Group and Compass Lexecon. Clients for this economic consulting work include Facebook and Google. In this period he has received compensation as a member of the Toulouse Network for Information Technology, a research group funded in part by Microsoft, and as a member of a review panel for the Sloan Foundation.” Lauren Hale reports: “Scientific Advisory Board (voluntary) of the Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development; Good Night Advisory Council (voluntary) of the Pajama Program; Honoraria from National Sleep Foundation; Honoraria from Children and Screens Institute of Digital Media and Child Development; Expert witness; Research support from Stephen and Pamela Della Pietra Family Foundation” Ro’ee Levy reports: “I am an unpaid member of Facebook’s 2020 Election Research Project.” Dr. Potenza reports: “no conflicts of interest with respect to the content of this manuscript. Dr. Potenza discloses that he has consulted for and advised Baria-Tek and Boehringer Ingelheim; been involved in a patent application with Yale University and Novartis; received research support from the Mohegan Sun Casino and the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling; consulted for or advised legal, non-profit, healthcare and gambling entities on issues related to impulse control, internet use and addictive behaviors; performed grant reviews; edited journals/journal sections; given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events, and other clinical/scientific venues; and generated books or chapters for publishers of mental health texts.” Johannes Thrul reports: “no conflicts of interest, but for transparency notes that he is the PI of a research grant on digital wellbeing from Aramco Services Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.” Pamela Rutledge reports: “Unpaid participation in a free educational monthly webinar/podcast discussing digital literacy for parents and teachers.” Elisa Wegmann reports: “I have no conflict of interest with regard to the current publication. My work is partly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).” Ethan Kross reports: “Kross received a grant from Facebook to fund research several years ago”. Jonathan Haidt declares that he is the author of the book used to develop the claims examined in this article. Jay Van Bavel reports: “has received funding from Google Jigsaw, has consulted for Microsoft News (MSN), and has participated in expert testimony for the state of New Mexico in a case related to Meta.” The other authors did not declare conflicts of interests. Funder Statement Laura K. Globig reports supported by a grant from Google Inc., a grant from the Roddenberry Foundation, and the Dana Foundation. Robert M. Ross. discloses support for the research of this work from the John Templeton Foundation [grant number 62631]. Elisa Wegmann reports: “My work is partly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).”
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    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General

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