By Mo Haider, ABC13 Houston
Social media has become part of everyday life: scrolling, clicking, swiping, all at your fingertips. It has not only become a major distraction, but health professionals say its addictive nature can lead to long-term problems, particularly for children.
Dr. Daniel Flint, a psychologist in the Department of Adolescent Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital, said social media is having a negative effect on the majority of his patients, and he’s concerned about how it’ll get in the way of more productive activities.
“From a psychological and behavioral reinforcement perspective, it has the same addictive properties as a slot machine because it’s really interesting at various different intervals,” Flint said.
Flint said that given social media’s addictive nature, it can be easy for a young person to get distracted from more productive hobbies and school.
“You have a teen, who doesn’t have a developed prefrontal cortex yet and isn’t able to make executive decisions, like ‘maybe this isn’t good for me, it’s recipe for disaster.'”
In fact, a 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 45% of teens said they spend too much time on social media, with 25% of teenage girls saying social media hurts their mental health. For teenage boys, that number was 14%.
A civil trial in Los Angeles is underway over claims that social media platforms are addictive. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, testified in court, pushing back against those allegations.
Flint said his worry about young people who spend too much time scrolling is the impact it could have on their future.
“There’s pretty strong research literature linking increased social media use with body image dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety rates, as well as decreased overall functioning and ability to cope with stress,” Flint said. “So I would imagine that for a child who has grown up in this generation, they’re going to enter adulthood with a lower threshold of capacity to solve their problems.”
As families navigate raising children in the digital era, some countries around the world are cracking down on social media use. Australia has banned access for anyone under 16, and France has passed similar legislation for those under 15.
“There are rules and regulations on the ages at which you can do other things? I think we need to have clear research in terms of knowing better what age is, is what damaging, and how can we help parents know what’s happening,” Flint said, adding that he recommends parents take their time and wait before they decide on giving their child a smartphone.
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This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.
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