Social media, what comes to mind when you read that? A bunch of brainrot reels, funny (often cringey) Snapchat filters, and uncle posts on Facebook, right? Social media is taking over our lives, thoughts, souls, and everything in between.
Did you know that an Indian teenager spends at least 3 to 4 hours on social media in their everyday lives? And youth (aged 18 to 25 years) spend 2.2 hours on Instagram? It might not feel like a big deal, but remember: Humans sleep for 8 hours and work for 8. That leaves us with 8 hours. Out of those 8 hours, we spend 2 hours eating, 2 hours travelling. And we only get 4 hours to ourselves.
And in those four hours, two hours of daily life are all gone, just because of a small device that has enchanted us with small doses of oxytocin and dopamine.
The social media effect on youth needs to be studied, and that’s what we will do.
The Neuroscience Behind Why Social Media is so Hard to Quit
Social Media is a powerful tool and a dangerous weapon. If not controlled, it can be really addictive. And no one is safe from this addiction. Just because you are an adult doesn’t mean you are less susceptible to it; don’t forget Sharechat is a social media platform too. Even after writing all this, I am more likely to scroll through some Instagram reels during my break. But why is it so addictive?
See, the addiction to social media isn’t random; there is a scientific reasoning behind it. The thing is, social media has the same neurobiological reaction as gambling and using substances.
Social media platforms trigger the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and basal ganglia. And when users receive likes, notifications, or new content, it creates anticipation and reinforcement similar to drug highs. This repetitive dopamine reward loop is the central reason why people are so addicted to social media.
And the social media effect on youth amplifies as their brain are still growing and these highs are felt at much higher levels for them.
Secondly, chronic use of social media reduces grey matter in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex. It does three things: heightens emotional reactivity, impairs self-regulation, and increases volume in reward areas such as the putamen. Adolescents face heightened risk as their developing brains prioritise these impulsive circuits over executive functions such as planning and inhibition.
And lastly, fMRI studies show social media activates the same ventral striatum and anterior cingulate regions as behavioural addictions. It nurtures tolerance (needing more scrolls for the same “hit”) and withdrawal (anxiety without access). Algorithms amplify this by delivering variable rewards, mimicking slot machines.
Youth Perspectives Show Social Media as Both Connector and Constraint
To understand the social media effect on youth, we need to listen to their view on it. So, what do the youth think? A 2022 survey report by Pew Research revealed their POV. The youth understands that there is good to social media, but they also know the bad.
Those who said social media had a mostly positive impact gave a range of reasons for it. About 50% of them describe the benefits of socialising on these platforms.
➤ A Connector:
According to them, the ability to build or maintain connections with others while using social media was the most positively impacted thing in their life.
A teen boy said, “I am kind of socially awkward, and making friends in person has often been difficult. Currently, I have a couple of long-time friendships online and talk with them practically daily.”
And another girl added: “I get to talk to my friends that I can’t spend time with because of this virus, and I no longer live in the same area or go to the same school as my friends that I grew up with.”
➤ An Informer:
The second positive reason for social media usage was accessibility to information, especially from YouTube.
To quote a guy, “On YouTube, I can easily access helpful videos and news alongside entertainment. YouTube has actually been an integral part of several of my classes as it helped people learn how to use software … or even had resources I used to complete projects.”
➤ The Entertainer
And for the last positive effect of social media, and also the real reason most of us use social media: entertainment. A teen boy said, “I just like to watch videos and be entertained. I don’t really let it affect me if someone is mean or something because that is something that just happens sometimes.”
Sadly, for a youth, social media entertainment isn’t just about fun, but a distraction. And that is very telling of our society’s current state.
As mentioned earlier, the social media effect on youth also has a negative side. The teenagers are also aware of the negative effects. Here’s what they said:
➤ A Barrier to Real Life:
A teen girl’s answer in the Pew Research stands out the most: “I can do better things with my time and go out with my friends and not talk to people over a screen.”
Another guy said, “I think social media has had a negative effect on me because the more I’m on it, the less I’m socially active. I feel like social media has become something I cannot live without, almost like a second limb.”
To explain, social media, while encompassing and unifying, acts as a barrier between real life. The more time they spend on social media, the less life they live. Social media should be part of life, not an alternative to it.
➤ Cause for Procrastination:
Another problem with social media is that it can lead to procrastination, something one boy noticed. He said, “It [Social Media] causes me to procrastinate on homework or other tasks.”
So, the social media effect on youth varies from extremely positive to dangerously negative, according to the teens. But what does the data say?
Here are the effects of social media on youth, backed by data.
The Constructive Role of Social Media in Youth Development
There are four main positive social media effect on youth.
1. Global Community
Social Media has one goal: to unify the world. It was the final step into globalisation. When you look back, let’s say 50 years ago, an average teenager had more exposure to the outside world than someone in the 70s.
An Indian kid living somewhere in the north of Karol Baug can experience Kazakh culture without leaving the walls of his house. As normal as it seems to us, explaining this to someone 50 years ago is very much like breaking down the workings of a torch to a Neanderthal who had just discovered fire.
The first positive social media effect on youth is the exposure and the global community it has offered them.
2. Access to Information
Today, thanks to YouTube and Instagram, information is more accessible than it was. Today, an average teenager has more access to information and knowledge than someone from our grandparents’ generation.
Unlike our grandparents, we don’t have to read through dozens of encyclopaedias, visit multiple bookstores, or sit in libraries; we can do that in the comfort of our own bedrooms. Information is at the fingertips of every teenager.
Think about it for a second: an underprivileged teenager can access notes for IIT for free. Thanks to teachers taking the initiative on social media platforms, we can provide free education to some extent.
3. Exposure for Talent
The greatest social media effect on youth is the exposure it has offered them.
Social media lets you be you. It gives young people a platform to share their thoughts, ideas, and talents. A smartphone with a good camera is all you need for the world to know how great a singer you are.
Social Media has helped launch the careers of many people. Bhuvan Bam started recording short scripts in his parents’ house; today, he has his own shows on Amazon Prime. In the article published by Business Viewpoint Magazine about Komal Gajjar. She was the first Indian supermodel to be selected by IMG Models. And do you know how they found her? Instagram.
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4. Outlet for Self-Expression
The best part about social media is that it allows you to share your thoughts and beliefs. With the help of social media platforms, youth can share their thoughts, and this self-expression improves their confidence.
And as the last social media effect on youth, it acts as a psychosocial arena where young people experiment with gender expression and aesthetics.
The youth use these platforms to bypass societal gatekeepers and express their creative, political, and gender identities. Today, Social media has become a tool for civic participation. Youth use platforms to voice opinions on social justice, environmental issues, and gender identity.
The Negative Social Media Effect on Youth that puts Wellbeing at Risk
Now, these negative effects of social media should not be ignored. These are four negative effects of social media on the youth.
1. Mental Health Decline
A study by the University of Chicago showed that excessive use correlates with heightened anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem. They conducted a natural experiment where Facebook’s rollout increased depression by 9% and anxiety by 12% among college students.
And this one social media effect on youth is amplified to a dangerous level in a country like India, where mental health services rarely reach every corner. The problem with social media is that it has desensitised us to everything. People don’t care about other people.
It is easy to feel nothing for someone you don’t know, and many times that makes people cross boundaries. It has led to a decline in mental health among the youth.
2. Cyberbullying
And while we are on the topic of desensitisation, we cannot forget the worst effect of social media, cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a crime in its truest sense. A meta-analysis of 10 studies found 19% pooled prevalence of cyberbullying among Indian adolescents, with high heterogeneity due to regional and methodological differences.
Delhi survey of 174 middle graders showed that 8% perpetrated cyberbullying, and 17% were victimised by it. The issue is that people don’t need a reason to bully; they see something and start saying things that would really hurt someone.
Take Arjun Kapoor, for example; as funny as his comment section is, the repeated harassment of an individual is wrong. It can lead to depression and mental health fatigue.
2. Sleep Disruption
The aspect of life that is most affected by social media is our sleep cycle. The high-energy blue light from smartphones mimics daylight, tricking the brain’s pineal gland into suppressing melatonin production. In Indian teens, who are more sensitive to light, this can delay sleep onset by up to 30–60 minutes.
Students use social media as a primary stress-buster after late-night study sessions. It creates a cycle where winding down digitally actually leads to more exhaustion.
And here’s the part we all ignore: excessive social media usage can lead to insomnia in teenagers. And insomnia can lead to tiredness, physical weakness, and eventually depression.
3. Academic Disruption
Short-form content is designed for infinite scrolling. What starts as a 5-minute study break often extends into a 45-minute doomscroll. It can disrupt the cognitive state of flow required for complex subjects such as Mathematics or Physics.
And in the high-pressure environment of Indian coaching centres (including those in Kota or Hyderabad), social media acts as a silent agitator. Seeing peers share perfect study setups or social outings triggers Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), which increases academic anxiety.
And while social media made education accessible, a constant exposure to the curated successes of study-tubers online can lead to a sense of worthlessness.
What Our Editors’ Instagram Habits Say about Youth Social Media Use?
Remember how at the beginning of the blog, we spoke about a study claiming that people between 18 and 25 years spend about 2 hours daily on Instagram on average? Well, it made me wonder, is it true? And I approached the 10 people aged between 18 and 25, who I could easily access, our editors.
To test this theory, we investigated the average weekly Instagram usage among ten editors at Business Viewpoint Magazine.
And here’s what we found:
Footnote: Self-reported weekly Instagram ÷7 = daily avg | n=10 editors 18-25yo | range: 1.17-6.18h
And when you take the average of these 10, the answer comes to 2 hours 41 minutes. Even a team of writers, who are supposed to spend their time reading and writing, spends at least 2 hours of their daily lives on social media. And that is the social media effect on youth.
Top 10 Tips to Avoid Social Media Addiction:
To avoid the dopamine trap, you need to stop fighting willpower and start changing your digital environment. Here are 10 non-generic strategies to break the cycle:
i) Enable Grayscale Mode: The brain is highly responsive to bright colours (especially red notification badges). Stripping the colour from your screen makes apps such as Instagram and Facebook look dull and unappealing, instantly killing the visual reward of scrolling.
ii) Practice Social Media Fasting by Location: Designate physical Phone-Free Zones rather than just time limits. For example, never use your phone in the bathroom or at the dining table. This breaks the subconscious link between specific environments and the urge to scroll.
iii) The Two-Screen Rule: Never use social media while watching TV or using a laptop. Multi-screening fractures your attention span and doubles the dopamine hit, making monotasking feel boring by comparison.
iv) Use an Analogue Substitute for Quick Tasks: If you pick up your phone to check the time or use a calculator, you’ll likely end up on social media. Switch to a physical wristwatch and a standalone calculator to remove the gateway to your apps.
v) Move Slot Machine Apps Off the Home Screen: Tuck social media apps inside a folder on the last page of your phone. Adding just 2–3 extra swipes and taps creates friction, giving your logical brain a split second to ask, “Do I actually want to do this?”
vi) Swap Your Morning Scroll for a Morning Input: Most people scroll before even getting out of bed. Commit to consuming one intentional piece of content, a single podcast episode, or a book chapter, before you are allowed to check a feed.
vii) Disable Pull-to-Refresh: If your app allows it (or if you use the mobile browser version), disabling the manual refresh feature stops the slot machine mechanic that keeps you hunting for new content.
viii) Set a Hard Data Cap: If you have an unlimited plan, you have no incentive to stop. Set a manual data limit on your social apps. When the data runs out, your access is physically cut off for the day.
ix) Use Engagement Killers: Stop liking or reacting to posts for a week. Social media is a two-way street; when you stop interacting, your notification tray stays quiet, which eventually lowers your urge to check the app for feedback.
x) Adopt the 24-Hour Post Rule: If you have something post-worthy, wait 24 hours before uploading it. This separates the enjoyment of the moment from the immediate hit of social validation, retraining your brain to value the experience over the likes.
Conclusion:
See, social media itself isn’t bad. When used correctly, it can do great things, but when the usage becomes addiction, it can be a problem. The social media effect on youth isn’t innately dangerous, but it can lead to danger.
So, what can we do? The best way to control the social media’s effect is to limit it. When asked about this question, our editor, who spent only 1 hour and 6 months on average, had a single-word solution: habit. If you want to overcome social addiction, you need to start following your habits.
So, the social media effect on youth is both good and bad, but most importantly, it is controllable.
FAQs
1. How does social media affect your mood?
Constant comparison to perfect lives can lower self-esteem and fuel anxiety. However, mindful use can provide community support. The key is to unfollow accounts that trigger negative feelings or a sense of inadequacy.
2. Does the social media effect on youth affect sleep?
Yes. Blue light from screens blocks melatonin, the sleep hormone. Additionally, the infinite scroll keeps your brain too alert for rest. Avoid scrolling at least one hour before bed to improve your sleep quality significantly.
3. Does social media make you lonelier?
Social media connects us globally, but can weaken local, in-person bonds. “Phubbing,” checking your phone during a conversation, damages trust. Prioritise face-to-face interaction to maintain deep, meaningful emotional connections with friends and family.
