More children are depressed and anxious. Is social media really behind it?

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. America’s children and teens love social media. But concern is growing that using it is causing more harm than good, and lawmakers and parents are calling for limits.

The problem? No one really knows how significant of a role social media plays in youths’ emotional state. Even as young people report crisis levels of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, it is unclear to what extent social-media use is contributing to the trend that federal agencies have documented in teens and children over the past decade. It doesn’t help that mental health is influenced by many factors, and no single treatment works for every person.

“It’s not as straightforward as: What is the right antibiotic for that ear infection?" said Megan Moreno, a scientist and pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and co-director of the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health at the American Academy of Pediatrics. All this makes it difficult to get answers to critical questions: Who is vulnerable? What kinds of content—seen with what frequency—are harmful? And at what age? Lawmakers and parents aren’t waiting around. Recent legislation takes aim at Big Tech, seeking to protect children’s mental health by limiting access to social media.

Some scientists worry, however, that the proposed rules aren’t an effective response to the crisis. “We’re actually probably going to be cutting young people off from very needed sources of social support," said Alice Marwick, director of research at Data & Society, an independent nonprofit research institute. Marwick has studied legislation that proposes restrictions on social-media access.