Source: Washington Post
by Sam Bowman
“A lot of parents worry about their kids and the internet. Fears about social media addiction and age-inappropriate content have already led Australia to ban social media accounts for children under the age of 16. Other countries like France and Spain are following. By some measures, teenagers’ mental health does seem to have gotten worse over the past 10 years, and this does coincide with widespread adoption of smartphones. But that is where any clear correlation between the two ends. Multiple studies have either shown that smartphone and social media use among teens has minimal effects on their mental health or none at all.” (02/17/26)