Study: 48% of teens say social media harms their peers (Pew 2025)
Pew's 2025 teen survey: 48% of US teens say social media mostly harms their peers, but only 14% say it harms them — a gap parents can use to start real talks.
Pew's 2025 teen survey: 48% of US teens say social media mostly harms their peers, but only 14% say it harms them — a gap parents can use to start real talks.
Nearly half of US teens now say social media is mostly bad for people their age — but far fewer believe it is bad for them personally.
Pew Research Center's April 2025 report, based on a survey of 1,391 US teens ages 13–17 conducted in fall 2024, found that 48% of teens say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age. That is up from 32% in 2022 — the first time nearly half of teens have given that answer.
But here is the twist: only 14% say social media negatively affects them personally, up from 9% in 2022. Meanwhile, 28% say it has a mostly positive effect on themselves — more than twice the 11% who say that about their peers.
What teens say it hurts
Teens are far more likely to say social media hurts rather than helps their sleep (45%) and productivity (40%), according to Pew's report. About one-in-five say it hurts their mental health (19%) or grades (22%).
Teen girls report worse outcomes: 25% of girls say social media hurt their mental health, compared with 14% of boys, and half of girls say it hurts the amount of sleep they get, per Pew.
Teens also sense they overdo it: 45% say they spend too much time on social media, up from 36% in 2022, and 44% say they have cut back on using it, according to Pew Research Center.
The other side
It is not all negative. Pew's report also finds that 74% of teens say social media makes them feel more connected to their friends' lives, and 63% say it gives them a place to show their creative side.
A conversation starter for parents
That gap — 48% for peers, 14% for me — is the opening. Instead of asking "is it hurting you?", try "what do you think it does to your friends?" Teens are far more honest about their peers, and the conversation that follows can be the real one.