Smartphones Without Social Media and Teen Mental Health

Question: Does having a phone without social media affect mental health?

Answer: This is a great question! There’s still a lot we don’t know about whether using a phone without social media can affect your mental health. Even though there is still more for us to learn, we can tell you what we know to help you and your parents make the best decision for you. 

How a smartphone can affect your mental health 

A recent study found that young teens who got their first smartphone before 12 or 13 had more difficulties with depression, sleep, and physical activity. But that study didn’t ask what apps or social media they had on their phone, so there are still some questions that need to be answered! We also know that mental health risks increase when tweens and teens consume more risky content, have unwanted contacts (like bullying or creepy adults), or start to use their phone compulsively in a way that interferes with schoolwork or sleep. Some of these things can happen even without social media on your phone. 

Potential benefits of having a smartphone without social media 

There are potential benefits to having a smartphone, though. Smartphones without social media can help you build connections with friends (through texting, calls, and video chat), be more creative (through apps that take photos, videos, or compose music), learn (through apps that teach foreign languages, for example), and stay organized (through maps, calendars, timers, etc). To help you have more control over your time and attention, it also helps to limit the number of video games you have on your phone (if any!) and use settings on your phone like “sleep” and “do not disturb” modes. 

Deleting social media from your phone 

What if you already have a phone with social media? Does removing social media from your phone affect your mental health? Studies that looked at temporarily blocking access to social media or the internet in general on phones found different results.  

• One review found that blocking social media alone was usually not enough to benefit mental health. An approach that involved more support and intervention, like one might receive through therapy, such as coaching a person on how they manage their relationship with social media (like taking breaks and setting time limits), was more effective in providing mental health benefits. 
• A second study required participants to install an app on their smartphone that blocked all internet access, including social media, for two weeks. This essentially turned their smartphones into “dumb” phones, like an old flip phone that could be used only for texting or making calls. Participants in this study found that blocking the internet on their phones improved their mental health, well-being, and ability to pay attention. Some of these improvements were because people spent more time socializing in-person, exercising, being in nature, and sleeping instead of being on their screens. Importantly, this study also found that people who were more worried about missing out on things (“FoMO”) at the beginning of the two weeks had greater improvements in their mental health and wellbeing by the end, possibly because the internet can make those FoMO feelings even worse by constantly showing people what they’re “missing out” on.  

What This Means for You 

There isn’t one straightforward answer about when to get a smartphone without social media access. Balancing the pros and cons looks different for every teen. It’s important to ask yourself what your time, socialization, and activities look like outside of using a phone, and whether having a smartphone would get in the way of those other things (or “crowd out” those important activities) or how it might change (for better or worse) the way you interact with your family and peers. 

To help you think about this and build positive technology habits, we recommend talking to a trusted adult about the pros and cons of getting a phone. Together, you can fill out this Phone Ready Quiz. You can also talk to them about this past portal question about when to first introduce a phone.  

What about having a smartphone with social media? 

If you’re also thinking about when it might be the right time for you to have a phone with social media, we have a few other resources that might be helpful. You can view our Social Media Tips for Teens videos, explore The Calm Toolbox to learn about healthy ways to cope with stress that don’t include screen time, or check out these past portal questions: 

• Age to Introduce Social Media – In this portal response geared mostly towards parents, we discuss when teens might be ready for social media. It might help to review this page together with your parents or caregivers. 
• Impact of Social Media on Youth – This portal response reviews the risks and benefits of social media. 

References 

• Barzilay, R., Pimentel, S. D., Tran, K. T., Visoki, E., Pagliaccio, D., & Auerbach, R. P. (2026). Smartphone Ownership, Age of Smartphone Acquisition, and Health Outcomes in Early Adolescence. Pediatrics, 157(1), e2025072941.   
• Castelo, N., Kushlev, K., Ward, A. F., Esterman, M., & Reiner, P. B.. (2025). Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being. PNAS Nexus, 4(2).   
• Plackett, R., Blyth, A., & Schartau, P. (2023). The Impact of Social Media Use Interventions on Mental Well-Being: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e44922.   

Age: 10-13 

Topics: Adolescent, youth, social media, dumb phone, abstinence from social media, delaying social media, mental health, well-being 

Role: Adolescent