What parents say about their teen’s uses of social media

Warnings about the potential harms of social media for youth are everywhere—some even targeting specific apps. To see if parents’ outlook shift by platform, Pew surveyed 1,458 U.S. parents of teens ages 13 to 17 about how they think social media generally impacts their teens. Highlights include: 

• Sleep and productivity: Roughly four-in-ten parents say social media hurts the amount of sleep their teens get and their productivity.
• Mental health: Parents are also more likely to think social media hurts rather than helps their teen’s mental health (24 percent vs. 8 percent).
• Friendships: By contrast, parents are more positive about the role these platforms play in teen friendship. About one-in-five say social media helps their teen’s friendships, compared with 13 percent who say it hurts.