Blog / Social media and teens
What social media actually does to teenagers (and what it doesn't)
You've seen the headlines: social media is ruining a generation. Or: it's just the new moral panic, like TV and video games before it. The truth sits somewhere in between – and it's more useful than either headline.
What NZ teens are actually doing
In late 2025, researchers surveyed 540 New Zealand teens aged 13 to 17 and 533 parents and caregivers (Public Health Communication Centre). What they found:
- 90% of teens use social media. Most (62%) started between the ages of 10 and 13.
- On average, teens spend 2.5 hours a day on it. Almost a third (32%) spend five hours or more.
- 22% met the criteria for problematic use – addictive-like behaviour such as not being able to stop, or feeling bad when they can't check. For girls it was one in four.
- Half said they got social media too young, and 39% wished it had never been invented.
That last number says a lot. Many teens aren't enjoying it as much as it looks. They feel stuck in it.
What the research says
In 2023 the US Surgeon General issued a formal advisory on social media and youth mental health. Its headline finding: teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety (US Surgeon General, 2023).
Two honest caveats:
- Link isn't the same as cause. Teens who are already struggling may scroll more. Researchers still debate how much of the effect social media causes directly.
- Averages hide big differences. For many teens the effect is small. For some – often girls, teens already dealing with anxiety or body-image worries, and those using it late at night – it's large.
The practical takeaway: you don't need to wait for scientists to settle the debate. If social media is pushing out sleep, friends and real life, it's worth acting on.
Five ways it gets under the skin
1. It steals sleep
Teens aged 14 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours a night (Ministry of Health). Phones in bedrooms, notifications and “one more video” cut straight into that. Less sleep means worse mood, focus and motivation – which often gets blamed on the teen, not the phone.
2. Endless comparison
Everyone else's highlight reel – the body, the holiday, the friend group, the person who already knows what they want to do with their life. Constant comparison chips away at self-worth, especially for teens who are still working out who they are.
3. It's designed not to stop
Infinite feeds, autoplay, streaks and notifications are built to keep people scrolling. Adults struggle with this too. A 15-year-old brain, still developing its self-control, is up against some of the best-funded design teams on the planet.
4. Focus gets fragmented
When New Zealand schools put phones away during the school day, most secondary leaders (83%) and teachers (79%) said students' focus improved (ERO, 2025). Constant pings make deep work – homework, practice, reading – much harder.
5. It crowds out real life
This is the one we think about most. Every hour on a feed is an hour not spent trying things: a part-time job, a sport, a band, building something, hanging out in person. Those experiences are how young people find out what they're good at and what they want. Less real life makes it harder to find direction – see when your teen doesn't know what to do.
The good stuff is real too
Social media isn't all harm. Teens use it to stay close to friends and family, find people like them (especially if they feel different at school), learn skills, create music and art, and organise around things they care about. Taking it away entirely can cut off real support. The goal is healthier use, not zero.
What parents can do
- Phones out of bedrooms at night. If you do one thing, do this. Charge them in the kitchen – including yours.
- Turn off non-essential notifications. Together, not as a punishment. Most apps don't need to interrupt anyone.
- Talk about how it feels, not just how long. “How do you feel after an hour on TikTok?” gets further than “you're always on that thing”.
- Swap, don't just stop. Cutting screen time works best when something better fills the gap – sport, a job, mates in person, a project.
- Delay new accounts. If your younger kids don't have social media yet, there's no rush. Agreeing with other parents in their friend group makes it easier.
- Model it. Teens notice when we scroll through dinner.
- Know where to get help. Netsafe helps with online bullying, scams and harmful content.
Want practical ways to cut back without a war? Read screen time for teenagers: how much is too much? And for the law change being debated in Parliament, see New Zealand's social media ban for under-16s, explained.
Where Week by Week fits
Week by Week is an app – so we're not anti-screen. But it's built to pull young people off the phone and into real life: every week they pick one real-world step, check in on it and celebrate the win. They can set a phone-time goal and see how many hours a week they win back. See how it works for families.
If things feel heavy: free call or text 1737 any time to talk to a trained counsellor. Youthline: 0800 376 633 or free text 234. In an emergency, call 111.
Questions
Is social media bad for teenagers?
Not for every teen, and not all of it. But heavy use is linked with worse sleep, mood and self-image, and around one in five NZ teens shows addictive-like use. The risk is highest when it pushes out sleep, real-world time and face-to-face friendships.
How much social media is too much for a teen?
There's no magic number, but a US Surgeon General advisory found teens using social media for more than three hours a day faced double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. NZ guidelines recommend no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day for 5 to 17-year-olds.
Does social media cause depression?
The research shows a clear link between heavy use and poorer mental health, but it's hard to prove cause and effect – struggling teens may also scroll more. Most researchers agree it's a real risk factor, especially for girls and for teens who are already vulnerable.
What age should kids get social media?
Most platforms say 13. New Zealand's government has proposed 16, in line with Australia. Half of NZ teens in a 2025 survey said they got social media too young themselves.
Help your teen find their direction – one week at a time. Week by Week is an AI life and career coach for NZ students. It helps them work out what drives them, shows career paths that fit and any current local job ads, and helps them win back time from their phone. Join with a nickname – no real name needed – and free for students when their school uses it.
Sources
- Public Health Communication Centre (2025), Problematic social media use common among NZ teens
- US Surgeon General (2023), Social Media and Youth Mental Health advisory
- Education Review Office (2025), Do not disturb: removing cell phones from NZ classrooms
- Ministry of Health, Sit Less, Move More, Sleep Well – guidelines for children and young people
- Netsafe – online safety help for New Zealanders