Social Media and the Adolescent Mind

Science of Connection 

To understand the relationship between social media and teens, we first need to examine the psychology behind the effect it has on society. For example the over saturation of connection, humans biologically have the urge to form connections with one another for protection from nature and ourselves, so when we make these connections today there is a surge of dopamine as encouragement to make more connections for safety. Social media allows us to make millions of these connections in extremely short periods causing a large dopamine response in our reward pathway, similar to opiates due to the amplification of dopamine in the brain. The overuse of social media can lead to a dependence on the artificial generation of these chemicals, and when off the apps your brain is in a dopamine deficient state craving your next “fix”. `It's important to recognize that online connections are not all bad and can serve as a comfort to teens and adults providing support and a sense of community. This is especially beneficial for those in marginalized groups, who may not be able to safely access support at home or in the community. So like most things, balance is key to taking advantage of the good social media can offer, if you feel yourself craving social media and tuning your life out it is essential you take an extended break and reevaluate your habit. 

Social Comparison and Mental Health

Another influence social media has on Adolescents is the constant exposure to the lives of others due to how connected we have become. This allows us to compare ourselves to idealized versions of other people's lives, similarly to connection humans also naturally have to urge to compare themselves to others. This comes from our biological nature to create social hierarchy and belonging, with social media this is amplified not with those in our immediate community in real time, but with perfectly curated images and videos from all over the world. This clouds our understanding of ourselves and others leading to low self esteem and a skewed sense of identity. Regarding teens, this point in our lives is critical in the establishment of our self and where we fit into society, the sense of belonging we naturally crave comes from trends or online communities. Rather than truly finding ourselves and understanding how to work into the world around us, often leading to stunted social development. 

Sources:

“Addictive Potential of Social Media, Explained.” News Center, https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2021/10/addictive-potential-of-social-media-explained.html. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/09/protecting-teens-on-social-media. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

Kedia, Gayannée, et al. “Brain Mechanisms of Social Comparison and Their Influence on the Reward System.” Neuroreport, vol. 25, no. 16, Nov. 2014, pp. 1255–65. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1097/WNR.0000000000000255.