Is social media damaging to children and teens? We asked five experts

Ms Alexandra Hansen

writer

Ms Alexandra Hansen

Chief of Staff, The Conversation

Ms Alexandra Hansen

If you have kids, chances are you’ve worried about their presence on social media.

Who are they talking to? What are they posting? Are they being bullied? Do they spend too much time on it? Do they realise their friends’ lives aren’t as good as they look on Instagram?

We asked five experts if social media is damaging to children and teens.

Four out of five experts said yes

The four experts who ultimately found social media is damaging said so for its negative effects on mental health, disturbances to sleep, cyberbullying, comparing themselves with others, privacy concerns, and body image.

However, they also conceded it can have positive effects in connecting young people with others, and living without it might even be more ostracising.

The dissident voice said it’s not social media itself that’s damaging, but how it’s used.

PASSWORD RESET

Forgot your password or password not working? Please enter your email address. You will receive an email with the link to set a new password.

Icon 2

NEXT LIVE Webcast

:
Days
:
Hours
:
Minutes
Seconds
Prof Andrew Sindone

Prof Andrew Sindone

An Update on Heart Failure in Primary Care

Dr Gabby Mahoney

Dr Gabby Mahoney

Allergen Introduction – Practical Tips for GPs

Prof Kim Delbaere

Prof Kim Delbaere

Falls Prevention – A Practical, Evidence-Based Update on What Really Works

Dr Terri Foran

Dr Terri Foran

Vulvovaginal Health – From Childhood to Menopause

Join us for the next free webcast for GPs and healthcare professionals

High quality lectures delivered by leading independent experts

Share this

Share this

Ms Alexandra Hansen

writer

Ms Alexandra Hansen

Chief of Staff, The Conversation

Test your knowledge

Recent articles

Latest GP poll

The government told the public that the average GP is earning $280k per year. Do you think this figure is:

Very overestimated

0%

Moderately/slightly overestimated

0%

Quite accurate

0%

Moderately/slightly underestimated

0%

Very underestimated

0%

Recent podcasts

Listen to expert interviews.
Click to open in a new tab

Find your area of interest

Once you confirm you’ve read this article you can complete a Patient Case Review to earn 0.5 hours CPD in the Reviewing Performance (RP) category.

Select ‘Confirm & learn‘ when you have read this article in its entirety and you will be taken to begin your Patient Case Review.

First Healthed Webcast for 2026

An Update on Heart Failure in Primary Care

Tuesday 3rd February, 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Speaker

Prof Andrew Sindone

Cardiologist; Director of the Heart Failure Unit and Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Concord Hospital

We invite you to our first webcast of 2026, where Prof Andrew Sindone will provide an update on heart failure in primary care. Earn up to 4 hours CPD. RACGP & ACRRM accredited.