Benefits of Social Media

Question: For teens, what are the potential benefits that come from using technology and social media? 

Answer: Thank you for your great question! At the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, we find it important to discuss not only the risks but also the benefits that come with technology and social media. “Social media” includes different apps and platforms with features that let people connect in various ways, such as sharing content, getting recommendations, sending messages, watching videos, and seeing ads.   

Teens are frequent users of technology. Around 96% of US teens report that they use the Internet every day, and 46% are online constantly. Further, 96% of teens have access to a smartphone, 88% to a desktop or laptop, and 83% to a gaming console. Some of the most popular social media sites among teens include YouTube (90% report using), TikTok (63%), Instagram (61%), Snapchat (55%) and Facebook (32%).  

The teenage years are ones of growing independence, autonomy, and differentiation from others. Research suggests that there are several ways that technology and social media use can support those developmental goals. 

Social Connection & Social Support 

Many teens report social connection and support as a benefit of social media.  

• Around 74% of teens aged 13-17 reported that social media made them feel more connected to their friends.  
• Many teens report that they use social media to establish new friendships or romantic relationships. Teens also use social media to maintain existing relationships, with close friends, acquaintances, and family members.  
• A large review of many research studies found that teens use social media to seek social support, and that those with high levels of online social support also reported high levels of self-esteem.  
• Further, social media and the Internet can be used a safe space to gain social support, particularly for those who do not have offline support. Many report that they can use social media to connect with others who share their identities.  

Identity, Self-Expression, Self-Affirmation, and Community Support 

Adolescents commonly use social media for emotional self-expression, to express their opinions, and for self-discovery. Girls often report benefits of social media related to self-expression; in particular, around 71-72% of adolescent girls of color who use TikTok and Instagram report that they see content that is identity-affirming to their race at least monthly.  

An experimental study found that looking at their own social media profiles helped young adults to understand themselves, boosting their self-esteem. Teens also say sharing personal thoughts online helps them express their feelings. 

Social media can be used as a safe space to gain social support, learn through each other’s stories and find validation through shared experiences. Further, teens who participate in online fandom communities emphasized how they could use the communities safely and anonymously if desired, they could explore, experiment, or discover themselves in an authentic way, and they reported self-acceptance when using the communities. 

Interest-Driven Exploration & Information-Seeking 

Teens, as they develop more independence, can pursue new ideas and hobbies online or follow educational, health-related, or inspirational accounts.  

Up to 47% of girls aged 13-15 reported using social media to learn or discover new things to explore their interests (Common Sense Media, 2021). Teens and young adults commonly use social media to seek out information, often related to schoolwork, and use search engines and social media to find health advice. 

Empowerment / Civic Engagement / Social Activism 

Teens can use social media to learn more about causes they care about, engage in activism and connect with communities on and offline. Many teens report that they use social media to learn about different points of view, show support for social or political causes, and take action via social media on issues they care about.  

One study of young people from Hong Kong found that those who used social media creatively (eg, creating videos or music, sharing a personal blog) were more likely to express and engage in politics, both online and offline. Another study of teens aged 13-17 found that the more teens used Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) the more likely they were to be interested and engaged in politics. 

Check out the following resources to learn more about the benefits (and the risks) of social media:  

• Impact of Social Media on Youth 
• Age to Introduce Social Media 
• The Good and Bad of Social Media: What Research Tells Us (Infographic) 

References 

• Anderson, M. & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018 | Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 14th, 2025. 
• Bates, A., Hobman, T., & Bell, B. T. (2020). “Let me do what I please with it... Don’t decide my identity for me”: LGBTQ+ youth experiences of social media in narrative identity development. Journal of Adolescent Research, 35(1), 51-83.   
• Brito, P. Q. (2012). Tweens' characterization of digital technologies. Computers & Education, 59(2), 580-593.   
• Common Sense Media Report (2021). Teens and Mental Health: How Girls Really Feel About Social Media | Common Sense Media. Retrieved November 14, 2025  
• Craig, S. L., Eaton, A. D., McInroy, L. B., Leung, V. W., & Krishnan, S. (2021). Can social media participation enhance LGBTQ+ youth well-being? Development of the social media benefits scale. Social media+ society, 7(1), 2056305121988931.  
• Faverio, M. (2025) 10 facts about teens and social media | Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 14, 2025.  
• Faverio, M., Anderson, M., & Park, E. (2025). Social Media and Teens’ Mental Health: What Teens and Their Parents Say | Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 14, 2025.  
• Jennings, N. A., & Caplovitz, A. G. (2022). Media use and coping in tweens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31(6), 1511–1521.   
• Khoo, S. S., Yang, H., & Toh, W. X. (2024). Leveraging Instagram to enhance self-esteem: A self-affirmative intervention study and multilevel mediation analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 150, 107972.   
• Luo, M., & Hancock, J. T. (2020). Self-disclosure and social media: motivations, mechanisms and psychological well-being. Current opinion in psychology, 31, 110-115.   
• McInroy, L. B., & Craig, S. L. (2020). “It’s like a safe haven fantasy world”: Online fandom communities and the identity development activities of sexual and gender minority youth. Psychology of Popular Media, 9(2), 236.   
• Oden, A., & Porter, L. (2023). The kids are online: Teen social media use, civic engagement, and affective polarization. Social Media+ Society, 9(3), 20563051231186364.   
• Pertegal, M. Á., Oliva, A., & Rodríguez-Meirinhos, A. (2019). Development and validation of the Scale of Motives for Using Social Networking Sites (SMU-SNS) for adolescents and youths. PloS one, 14(12), e0225781.   
• Scott, J., Hockey, S., Ospina‐Pinillos, L., Doraiswamy, P. M., Alvarez‐Jimenez, M., & Hickie, I. (2022). Research to clinical practice—youth seeking mental health information online and its impact on the first steps in the patient journey. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 145(3), 301-314.  
• Sidoti, O., Park, E., & Faverio, M. (2025). Internet, digital device access among US teens, by demographic traits | Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 14, 2025.  
• Zhou, Z., & Cheng, Q. (2022). Relationship between online social support and adolescents’ mental health: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 94(3), 281-292. 
• Zhu, A. Y. F., Chan, A. L. S., & Chou, K. L. (2019). Creative social media use and political participation in young people: The moderation and mediation role of online political expression. Journal of adolescence, 77, 108-117.  

Age: 13- 18 

Topics: Social media benefits, technology benefits, adolescents, teens 

Role: Educator