In May of 2023 The United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a new advisory warning of the mental health effects of social media on young people.

With around 100 studies, warnings and surveys cited, the advisory analyzes social media’s influence on everything from kids’ body image to their social wellbeing to their sleep patterns

FINDINGS: Frequent social media use with possible shifts in the parts of the brain responsible for emotional impulse control, emotional learning and moderating social behaviour puts teens at a higher risk for: decrease in life satisfaction, eating disorders, stunted sleeping patterns, sexual exploitation, self-harm, suicide, acute depressive episodes, and the onset of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)