Youth Development Programs and the Impact of Social Media

Question: Are young people less susceptible to the harms of social media if they participate in structured youth development programs (i.e. afterschool, summer, out-of-school time programs)?; and What evidence shows that structured youth development programs could remediate social media addiction?

Answer: Though the benefits of afterschool programs have been studied extensively, their specific role in preventing or remediating problematic social media use is unknown. But we can gain some insight into the role afterschool programs might play through research on the psychosocial benefits of afterschool programs and the psychosocial factors affecting problematic social media use.  

The Impact of Afterschool Programs

Afterschool programs are popular in the U.S., with an estimated 7.8 million youth participating in one or more programs per year. These programs include a wide range of adult-supervised youth activities taking place outside of school hours, including academic support, mentoring, positive youth development, arts, sports and recreation, apprenticeships and workforce development programs.  

There is growing scholarly consensus that afterschool programs provide positive psychosocial benefits. Overall, afterschool programs have a small but significant positive effect on psychological adjustment (self-perception; reduced emotional distress). More granularly, different subpopulations may derive more or less benefits than others in certain programs. Young people with marginalized backgrounds experienced small but positive effects on a range of youth developmental domains, including mental health and self-perception/identity over youth not attending afterschool programs. American Indian and Alaska Native youth who participated in culturally grounded afterschool programs displayed improved self-esteem and lower levels of substance use and initiation. 

However, it’s worth noting that more programming isn’t necessarily better: youth from higher socioeconomic backgrounds with higher than typical involvement in afterschool programs experienced a decrease in psychological well-being – what scholars call the “over-scheduling hypothesis”. 

Making the Connection: Psychological Well-being and Problematic Social Media Use 

It is possible that the psychological benefits some young people receive from participating in afterschool programs might extend into a healthier relationship with social media as young people’s psychological status plays a role in their susceptibility to problematic social media use. For example, a recent systematic review found that low self-esteem and poor emotional regulation make young people more susceptible to problematic social media use.  

When we consider afterschool programs within the context of our evidence-based framework, the 5 Cs of Media Use, these programs may provide new ideas for high-quality content to explore through connections and learning (Content). They may help with emotion regulation and development of calming strategies through organized activities and connections (Calm). Further, they may help ensure that children and teens are benefiting from in-person socialization, physical activity, creative pursuits, or homework support (Crowding Out).   

Additional targeted research is needed to know if youth are less susceptible to the harms of social media through participation in structured youth development programs.  

Educators or program leaders who would like to directly engage youth about healthy social media use, may find the following resources that can be adapted to afterschool contexts helpful: 

• Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship curriculum covers topics including media balance & well-being, relationships, communication, and cyberbullying.  
• Media Power Youth’s Screenshots curriculum is a media literacy curriculum for grades 6-8. It includes lesson plans, podcasts, a project, and an interactive notebook and focuses on thinking critically about social media messages, managing online conflict, exploring how digital media relates to substance use, and practicing empathy when navigating online challenges.   
• Teens & Tech is a free evidence-based curriculum developed by the Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain, and Psychological Development for middle school educators on how adolescent brain development affects technology use and well-being.  
• Ed Tech Triangle’s model guides teachers and admins on spreading wellness and sharing resources about digital wellness in the classroom.   

References 

• Christensen, K. M., Kremer, K. P., Poon, C. Y. S., & Rhodes, J. E. (2023). A meta-analysis of the effects of after-school programmes among youth with marginalized identities. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 33(4), 882-913.  
• Ciocanel, O., Power, K., Eriksen, A., & Gillings, K. (2017). Effectiveness of Positive Youth Development Interventions: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials [Article]. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 46(3), 483-504.   
• Hunter, A. M., Carlos, M., Nuño, V. L., Tippeconnic-Fox, M. J., Carvajal, S., & Yuan, N. P. (2022). Native Spirit: Development of a culturally grounded after-school program to promote well-being among American Indian adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 70(1-2), 242-251.   
• Piccerillo, L., & Digennaro, S. (2024). Adolescent social media use and emotional intelligence: A systematic review. Adolescent Research Review.   

Age: 10 -17 

Topics: Middle childhood, early adolescence, middle adolescence, after‐school program, positive youth development, community‐based 

Role: Educator