Written by Kritika Rao
Edited by Thuy-vy Nguyen
The way children and adolescents experience solitude today is vastly different from how people spent time alone before the rise of high-speed internet and smartphones. Even in an otherwise empty room, young people can now communicate with others or view hundreds of faces within an hour of scrolling on their devices. This shift has sparked concerns about the impact of social media use on young people's mental health, particularly regarding how it shapes their experiences of solitude and connection.
The concerns around social media use among young people parallel earlier skepticism about the introduction of television into households. Research and articles at the time highlighted how adolescents were spending more time watching television instead of playing outdoors. However, television was eventually understood to provide a form of solitary space where adolescents could explore and experiment with different aspects of themselves while managing negative emotions.
Social media, while sharing some similarities with television, introduces a more dynamic and fragmented experience. Unlike television programs, which often follow cohesive and meaningful narratives, social media platforms are dominated by short-form content designed for quick consumption. This constant barrage of scattered, unorganized content raises important questions: does social media promote the same kind of self-exploration and emotional processing that television once did, or does its fragmented nature undermine young people's ability to reflect on themselves constructively?
Research suggests that social media use during solitude often serves the purpose of helping young people regulate negative emotions. Findings from our lab, for instance, indicate that social media can reduce feelings of boredom and loneliness when used during brief periods of alone time. Besides actively engaging with social media, people often enjoy using passive technology to relax or unwind, such as scrolling on YouTube or listening to music. These activities create a kind of social world that can be observed without requiring active participation. Technology also offers the flexibility to shift seamlessly between being alone and connecting with others whenever desired.
For some teenagers, social media serves as a tool to combat loneliness. When used to strengthen existing relationships, it can help reduce feelings of isolation. Many young people find that maintaining connections with old friends or building new friendships through social media makes their alone time feel more positive and less lonely.
While social media can act as a protective factor against loneliness, teenagers have also expressed concerns about its negative effects on real-life relationships, including increased anxiety and sleep disruptions. The interactive nature of social media often exposes users to curated glimpses of others' lives, leading to harmful social comparisons. Happiness can easily become measured by the number of likes received, and self-worth tied to comments on a post. However, it remains debated whether social media truly amplifies social comparison or merely mirrors the comparisons we already engage in offline.
Another risk of social media is the fatigue it can bring. With everything from news updates to snapshots of other people’s activities accessible at the touch of a screen, the constant barrage of information can feel overwhelming and draining. For some, this leads to a reduction or even discontinuation of social media usage.
At the same time, the availability of a social world within the small screen may drive others to withdraw from physical interactions, using virtual contacts as replacements. This raises important questions: does this tendency to rely on virtual connections indicate deeper psychological or interpersonal issues? And do virtual interactions truly fulfil our need for belonging in the same way that physical interactions do?
That said, the content young people engage with matters significantly. While superficial or heavily curated posts may fuel comparison, more authentic and meaningful content has been shown to promote self-compassion and empathy. This underscores the importance of the type of content consumed rather than the mere fact of using social media. Teachers and parents can play a key role here, helping young people reflect on their social media use and encouraging them to engage with it more intentionally. By supporting young people in choosing content that aligns with their values and fostering discussions about how social media impacts their emotions and self-understanding, adults can help transform digital interactions into tools for positive emotion regulation and personal growth.
Children of the early '90s and earlier did not have nearly as much access to technology, and as such, may have had very different ways of spending time in solitude. While adults of previous generations may have experienced solitude differently growing up, we’d be interested to know: is the way you spend alone time as an adult different from your children? Or are we now more similar in how we spend our ‘me-time’ than we perhaps realise?
To reflect on your own or your child’s social media use, consider these questions:
Does the content align with your values? In what ways does it align or not align?
How does the content you consume make you feel afterward? Does it leave you feeling positive and inspired, or anxious and inadequate?
How might you engage with social media differently to support your emotional well-being and personal growth?
Encouraging both young people and adults to approach social media with intentionality can help foster healthier, more meaningful online experiences.
Sources:
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