Social media can help young people stay connected, find communities, express themselves, and learn about interests. It can also expose them to harassment, unhealthy comparison, sexual exploitation, misinformation, sleep disruption, and content that is not appropriate for their age.

The U.S. Surgeon General has said there is not enough evidence to conclude that social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents, while also acknowledging that its effects differ by child and type of use.¹ In 2026, HHS also released a broader advisory focused on harms associated with excessive and harmful screen use.²

Do not focus only on the number of hours

Time matters, especially when devices push out sleep, physical activity, schoolwork, or face-to-face relationships. But two children can spend the same amount of time online and have very different experiences.

Ask what the child is doing, who they are interacting with, what content appears in their feed, and how they feel afterward.

Watch for changes in sleep

Late-night scrolling, notifications, gaming, and social pressure can keep children awake. HHS's 2026 screen-use advisory identifies sleep disruption as a major concern and notes that many adolescents use devices close to bedtime.²³

• Phone use after lights-out
• Difficulty waking for school
• Falling asleep in class
• Sleeping much later on weekends
• Irritability or emotional volatility after poor sleep

Watch for compulsive or secretive use

HHS identifies warning signs such as strong irritability when devices are removed, secrecy around online behavior, withdrawal from offline activities, and repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back.³

Secrecy does not always mean something dangerous is happening—teens also want privacy—but sudden or extreme changes deserve a calm conversation.

Watch for what happens to your child's mood

Pay attention to whether the child regularly seems anxious, angry, ashamed, excluded, or depressed after using a particular platform. Ask about comparison, body image, likes, group chats, relationship drama, and content that makes them feel worse.

The goal is not to interrogate. A child is more likely to tell a parent about an online problem if they believe the first response will be help rather than immediate punishment.

Watch for harassment and exploitation

• Threats or repeated cruel messages
• Pressure to send sexual images
• An adult or older teen seeking private contact
• Requests to move conversations to encrypted or disappearing-message apps
• Blackmail or sextortion
• Fake or AI-generated sexual images
• Someone demanding money to keep images private

In 2026, the FTC began enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which requires covered platforms to provide a process for removal of nonconsensual intimate images and addresses certain digitally altered intimate images.⁴ Serious exploitation can also be reported to law enforcement or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline.

Teach privacy before a crisis

• Keep accounts private when appropriate
• Limit location sharing
• Review follower lists
• Do not share school schedules or home-address details publicly
• Use strong unique passwords and multi-factor authentication
• Do not send intimate images because someone promises they will disappear
• Assume screenshots and copies are possible even on disappearing-message services

Create boundaries with your child, not only for your child

Family rules work better when adults explain the purpose. Consider device-free meals, charging phones outside bedrooms, quiet hours, or limits on particular apps that are causing problems.

Parents can also model the behavior they expect. A rule that everyone puts phones away during dinner is often easier to sustain than a rule that singles out one child.

When should I seek professional help?

Consider talking with a pediatrician, therapist, school counselor, or other qualified professional when online experiences are connected to persistent anxiety, depression, sleep problems, school refusal, disordered eating, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or major changes in functioning.

If a child is in immediate danger or experiencing a mental-health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 or use emergency services as appropriate.

The bottom line

The goal is not to monitor every click. It is to know your child well enough to notice when online life begins interfering with sleep, safety, relationships, school, or emotional health. Keep conversations open, make boundaries predictable, and take harassment, exploitation, and significant mood changes seriously.