“Up to 95% of youth ages 13–17 report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.” (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023, p. 4).

In its infancy, social media emerged as a revolutionary tool, designed to connect individuals, amplify voices, and foster creativity across global communities. Today, however, it has evolved into a troubling societal force – marked by addictive design, artificial content moderation, and a profit-driven ethos that prioritises engagement over well-being – disproportionately impacting adolescents. These platforms now permeate the lives of young people, shaping not only their modes of expression but also their mental health, relationships, and future trajectories. Once envisioned as a digital utopia of thriving communities, social media now casts a shadow over adolescent well-being, raising a critical question: has it transitioned from a tool of empowerment to a plague of harm?

This paper investigates that transformation. Initially, social media offered adolescents a platform for empowerment, enabling them to forge online communities – evident in the individuality of MySpace profiles or the convivial exchanges on early Facebook walls, distinct from traditional educational spaces. Over time, however, its purpose shifted. Propelled by profit-oriented organisations, sophisticated algorithms, and attention-capturing features, social media has become a double-edged sword, particularly for the adolescents it once aimed to benefit. For young people, whose developing brains are still forming identity, resilience, and self-worth, the stakes are exceptionally high. Mounting evidence reveals a stark reality: escalating rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep disruption, driven by endless scrolling, cyberbullying, and the pressure to curate an idealised online presence (American Psychological Association, 2023).

For this paper, a ‘tool’ is defined as a mechanism intended to serve its user – here, a conduit for connection and creativity – while a ‘plague’ denotes a pervasive, insidious affliction spreading harm across society. This paper contends that social media, once a constructive tool, now aligns with the latter for adolescents, inflicting more harm than good. Through an analysis of its historical trajectory, the design shifts that altered its nature, and its documented effects on adolescent mental health, this study confronts a pressing conclusion: the impact of social media on young people demands not merely awareness, but actionable intervention. While relevant to multiple academic disciplines, this paper is situated within the ‘Communities and Social Media’ framework, emphasising its communal implications.

The emergence of social media represented a pivotal shift in online communication, establishing platforms that enabled users to connect, create, and foster a sense of belonging. This innovation resonated profoundly with adolescents, a demographic uniquely positioned to adopt and adapt to new technologies with agility. The earliest widely recognised social media platforms, Friendster (2002) and MySpace (2003), gained traction by offering users the ability to build virtual communities and express individuality through customisable profiles. Features such as photo sharing, personal updates, and music integration extended social interactions beyond physical constraints, proving particularly appealing to adolescents. For young people, whose access to real-world social outlets was often limited by parental oversight or geographical isolation, these platforms provided a novel avenue for engagement.

Distinct from traditional social contexts, social media empowered adolescents to curate their identities and forge connections with peers beyond the confines of school or local neighbourhoods. This laid the foundation for what was initially perceived as a digital renaissance of social interaction. Such optimism was well-supported by early research, which highlighted the platforms’ capacity to enhance adolescent well-being. For instance, studies noted that “adolescents described how social media could enhance well-being by fostering social engagement and providing access to peer support, with friendships blossoming through tweeting, texting, and posting” (Best et al., 2015; O’Reilly, 2020; Radovic et al., 2017; Thomas et al., 2016, as cited in Popat & Tarrant, 2023, p. 329). This ability to seek belonging and validation online addressed a critical developmental need for adolescents navigating identity formation.

The introduction of Facebook in 2004 further refined this landscape. Initially restricted to college networks, it enabled adolescents transitioning into young adulthood to maintain ties with high school peers while integrating into new academic communities. Following its expansion to the public in 2006, Facebook rapidly ascended to become the most widely used social media platform. Its success underscored the value of structured connectivity for adolescents, whose developmental stage is marked by a heightened need for peer affirmation and self-exploration. No longer bound by the physical limits of the schoolyard or neighbourhood, relationships could thrive in a digital space. In these formative years, social media platforms appeared to fulfill their promise, prioritising user-driven interaction over exploitation. Friendster’s networking simplicity, MySpace’s emphasis on personalisation, and Facebook’s focus on authentic relationships positioned them as constructive tools, particularly beneficial for adolescent communities.

This trajectory, however, relied on platforms maintaining their original ethos of empowerment and connection. While social media’s initial phase demonstrated significant potential, its evolution would soon face challenges that tested this foundation.

The transformation of social media from a user-centred tool to a profit-driven enterprise stemmed from deliberate design changes that prioritised engagement over well-being, with profound implications for adolescents. In 2009, Facebook introduced the “Like” button, a feature that shifted interactions from passive observation to active validation by peers – additionally useful or commercial insight. While this appeared benign for many users, it posed challenges for adolescents, whose developmental need for social acceptance rendered them particularly vulnerable to its quantifiable metrics. Yau and Reich (2019, p. 201) found that adolescent participants viewed the number of “likes” as a critical indicator of social standing, amplifying the pressure to appear popular online. Similarly, Instagram’s shift in 2016 from chronological to algorithm-driven feeds marked a further pivot, curating content to sustain user attention rather than reflect authentic connections. This change, driven by commercial interests, exposed adolescents to emotionally charged or idealised material, potentially disrupting the social and identity development (Faria, 2024).

These shifts were accompanied by features designed to exploit psychological mechanisms, particularly the reward-seeking tendencies prevalent in adolescent brains. Infinite scrolling, adopted across platforms, removed natural breaks in usage, delivering an endless stream of algorithmically selected content to sustain engagement. Enhanced notifications prompted frequent returns, each alert eliciting cognitive responses comparable to those observed in gambling behaviours (Voinea et al., 2024). Snapchat’s “streaks,” introduced in 2015, intensified this trend by gamifying communication with visual markers for daily interaction, tethering adolescents to the platform through a reward-and-loss dynamic. Hristova et al. (2020, p. 126) note that this system “strongly impacts the communication practice of adolescents, both with regard to its temporality and its content,” fostering habitual use over meaningful exchange.

Such features leveraged dopamine responses – neurochemical rewards tied to anticipation and validation – creating feedback loops that encouraged compulsive behaviour (Haynes, 2018). For adolescents, whose neural reward systems remain immature, these designs transformed platforms from engaging tools into addictive environments. This shift in ethos reflected profit motives, as companies discovered they could monetise user attention through advertising partnerships. Prolonged screen time enabled greater data collection and ad exposure, establishing a model that valued duration online over mental health outcomes. What began as a conduit for connection evolved into a source of potential harm, exploiting adolescent vulnerabilities rather than nurturing the community-building ethos of earlier years.

This transformation is now being explored in numerous detailed reports, which collectively underscore that we are grappling with an undeniable crisis concerning adolescent engagement with social media. The evidence – demonstrating rising harms to mental wellbeing and extensive societal ramifications – provides ample justification for terming it a “plague.” The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory directly associates excessive social-media use with significant sleep disruptions and a troubling surge in suicidal ideation, particularly among vulnerable young individuals (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023). This evidence aligns closely with the American Psychological Association (2023), which reveals that adolescents dedicating over three hours daily to social media – where platform averages in the study hit five hours – face double the likelihood of experiencing poorer mental stability, including symptoms of depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying has escalated dramatically, driven by platforms deliberately crafted to perpetuate constant engagement, whilst curated, idealised content steadily diminishes self-esteem, encouraging adolescents to adopt unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and lifestyle (Popat & Tarrant, 2023, p. 329). Dopamine-targeting features, strikingly similar to mechanisms found in gambling addiction, substantially heighten the risk of developing compulsive behaviours that persist into later life (Voinea et al., 2024). A prime example, Snapchat’s “streaks,” gamifies basic human interaction, chaining users to their devices and embedding compulsive neural habits that prove challenging to overcome (Hristova et al., 2020, p. 126). While social media may offer mature users benign or occasionally solace-inducing experiences, the prevailing narrative for adolescents is one of pervasive, stress-inducing addictions that vastly outweigh any benefits, fostering dependency on platforms we have unquestioningly woven into the fabric of modern social norms (Solanki, 2024).

These detrimental effects extend far beyond individual suffering, infiltrating society like a relentless plague. Mental-health deterioration frequently leads to educational disengagement, with the Surgeon General linking this trend to measurable declines in academic performance and restricted opportunities for future employment (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023). This perspective is supported by the American Psychological Association (2023), which argues that a generation burdened by these struggles strains workforce readiness, posing a tangible threat to long-term economic stability and prosperity. Culturally, algorithm-driven content increasingly prioritises addictive, sensational material over the authentic, meaningful connections of past decades, distorting identity formation – a crucial developmental stage for adolescents desperately seeking belonging and validation (Faria, 2024). Misinformation proliferates with alarming speed on these platforms, cultivating echo chambers that bolster harmful communities and weaken societal cohesion, a phenomenon glaringly apparent in the divisive climate engulfing the world today (Solanki, 2024). This erosion is worsened by declining face-to-face interactions, supplanted by validation norms embedded within platform design, severely undermining adolescents’ capacity for effective real-world communication and empathy. Social media’s unparalleled reach is propelled by profit-focused designs exploiting dopamine responses to relentlessly monetise our habits (Haynes, 2018). As this paper emphatically asserts, adolescents endure the gravest consequences, suffering profound personal tolls on mental wellbeing alongside collective damages to societal integrity, positioning social media as a critical threat to adolescent wellbeing that demands urgent action rather than mere awareness.

In conclusion, social media, once celebrated as a revolutionary tool for connecting people and offering a space for self-expression, has evolved into a well-documented danger to the mental health of adolescents. During its early days, platforms like Friendster and MySpace opened up remarkable opportunities for young individuals to build communities, explore their creativity, and forge connections that transcended geographical boundaries. These initial versions of social media gave users a sense of empowerment, creating what felt like a boundless digital frontier full of potential. However, a significant transformation occurred with the rise of corporate influence, introducing features such as algorithm-driven content feeds, the infamous “Like” button, gamified interactions, and infinite scrolling. These design choices, crafted to boost user engagement and maximize profits, have turned social media into an addictive entity that preys on the neurological vulnerabilities of developing adolescent brains, often prioritizing screen time over their psychological well-being.

The fallout from this shift is both severe and extensively studied. Research highlights a sharp uptick in depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances among youth, closely tied to the proliferation of social media usage. Beyond individual suffering, the broader societal impact is undeniable: misinformation proliferates unchecked by algorithms, social bonds weaken, and academic focus deteriorates as teens remain glued to their screens for hours. Consider the striking figure that 95% of adolescents aged 13–17 now use these addictive platforms (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023), with many spending over three hours daily – a duration that doubles their risk of mental health challenges (American Psychological Association, 2023). This is not a passing phase but a systemic crisis jeopardizing the future of entire generations.

Addressing this demands bold, collective effort. Solutions proposed in the referenced sources and echoed here include holding platforms accountable through stricter regulations, eliminating addictive design features, and enhancing policies to protect users. Additionally, parents and educators must be equipped with robust digital awareness programs to guide youth toward safer online habits. Social media should reclaim its original purpose as a tool for empowerment, not harm. The stakes are too critical to ignore; as responsible people, we must act decisively and urgently for our youth – sooner rather than later.

References

American Psychological Association. (2023, May). Health advisory on social media use in adolescence. https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use.pdf

Faria, J. I. A. (2024). Instagram Algorithm Changing the Cultural Identity: the Impact of the Content Recommended by the Instagram Algorithm on the of Users’ Cultural Identity Formation (Master’s thesis, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (Portugal)). https://www.proquest.com/openview/9edf35810f70558ca145782ce5f5e57f/1?cbl=2026366&diss=y&pq-origsite=gscholar

Haynes, T. (2018, May 1). Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time. Science in the News. https://unplugged.sunygeneseoenglish.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2019/11/Domamine-PDF.pdf

Hristova, D., Dumit, J., Lieberoth, A., & Slunecko, T. (2020). Snapchat streaks: How adolescents metagame gamification in social media. In Proceedings of the 4th International GamiFIN Conference (pp. 126-135). CEUR-WS. org. https://pure.au.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/220120995/How_Adolescents_Metagame_Gamification_in_Social_Media.pdf

Office of the Surgeon General. (2023). Social media and youth mental health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf

Popat, A., & Tarrant, C. (2023). Exploring adolescents’ perspectives on social media and mental health and well-being – A qualitative literature review. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 28(1), 323–337. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9902994/pdf/10.1177_13591045221092884.pdf

Solanki, Sakshi. (2024). Navigating Social Networking: Understanding the Effects on Youth. International Journal of Law Management & Humanities, 7, 2521-2528. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/ijlmhs28&i=2547

Voinea, C., Marin, L., & Vică, C. (2024). Digital slot machines: social media platforms as attentional scaffolds. Topoi, 43(3), 685-695. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11245-024-10031-0

Yau, J. C., & Reich, S. M. (2019). “It’s just a lot of work”: Adolescents’ self‐presentation norms and practices on Facebook and Instagram. Journal of research on adolescence, 29(1), 196-209. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jora.12376?saml_referrer