The scientific evidence is not as compelling as some commentators suggest. But our negative narrative around social media may risk becoming a self-fulfilling one
One of the more promising developments in the continuing debate about social media’s impact on young people centres around the idea of social media mindsets. Photograph: Agency Stockissues among teenagers and a mounting chorus of alarm among experts, schools and parents of a possible link to smartphone use.
The scientific evidence would suggest the answer is no. Recent examinations of nationally representative large scale data sets challenge the narrative that the impact of social media is entirely negative. For example, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term study of adolescent brain development and health in the United States, found no evidence of the harmful effects associated with digital technology.
Mindsets matter because they shape behaviour, especially in young people. So if we continue to tell teenagers that social media inevitably leads to poor self-worth, that may shape their experiences. For teenagers, whose minds are still forming, these beliefs can become self-fulfilling prophecies.
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