How does social media affect health and wellbeing of children?
The more time someone spends online, the greater the likelihood of potential harm. Plus, the 24/7 nature of the internet coupled with the far-reaching and sometimes faceless audience means that issues such as conflict and bullying have more of an impact than ever before.
However, not all young people who are vulnerable online appear so in other aspects of their lives, and online risks can be unexpected. Instant sharing of personal content, difficulties with retracting personal information, and the potential for misreading social situations and causing unintentional distress all create potential risks that can take young people by surprise.
Does social media negatively impact health and wellbeing?
A recent asked teachers and school leaders about the social media-related issues they have noticed since the start of the 2024/25 academic year. The results were overwhelmingly negative:
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Almost three-quarters of secondary school teachers reported that students had been bullied by peers on social media.
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Almost a third of secondary school teachers noticed signs of students having access adult or violent content online.
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Almost three-quarters of teachers said that students were using social media below the minimum age requirement.
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Almost half of secondary school teachers said that students have recorded them or their peers without permission.
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Only 14% of all respondents said that they have not witnessed any significant issues with social media in schools.
Of these results, Manny Botwe, ASCL President, said “Today’s young people face challenges that are vastly different from those of previous generations. Their world is shaped by smartphones, social media, memes and influencers - forces that shape their identities, interactions and even their mental wellbeing…
… It leaves a trail of harm – 51 concerns, fractured friendships, bullying, anxiety, and the spread of extremist ideologies. And increasingly, it is being weaponised against schools and teachers, with disgruntled parents using it as a platform to target staff.”
Unfortunately, legislative process around social media has been incredibly slow. The long-delayed Online Safety Act took years to pass and even now is only just starting to take effect. However, it remains unclear whether it will make a real difference.
Are there any positive effects from social media?
According to a , adolescents who are heavy but non-problematic users reported stronger peer support and social connections. It fosters community and connectedness.
Meanwhile, report that social media can support young people with the following benefits:
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Building digital media literacy
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Staying connected with family and friends
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Exploring passions and hobbies
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Building a positive online presence
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Developing empathy and social awareness.
How can you support young people with social media and wellbeing?
As a teacher it can be hard to know how you can help students navigate the online world safely, but you don’t have to deliver formal lessons for the learning to sink in. One of the best things you can do for students is to help them develop digital resilience.
You don’t have to deliver formal teaching on digital resilience. Instead, build learning opportunities into existing lesson plans. Here are some of the best ways to instil digital resilience in children:
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Encourage open an honest communication so that students feel comfortable asking for help.
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Allow children to engage with online activities so that they are exposed to the online world and learn to navigate it.
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Resist the urge to immediately fix problems yourself. Instead support children in resolving problems.
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Be a role model for your students.
In turn teaching digital resilience will help young people to:
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Understand online risks and be able to make informed decisions.
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Know when to ask for help and where they can access appropriate resources.
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Know how to recover if things go wrong online – either by resolving the situation or by seeking help.
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Learn from the experience and apply the learning to future decisions.
Find out more about building digital resilience in children in our recent article on the topic, plus learn more about why it is so important to build this skill in children from a young age.
How Tes can help
At Tes, we offer a range of 51 tools and courses to help keep children safe. We offer a range of 51 courses to give you the knowledge and skills needed to keep children safe. Why not take a look at our course that offers insight into how technology and the online landscape is changing.