Excessive screen time, a relentless 24-hour news cycle and intense academic pressures are fuelling an "emotional overload" among young people that blanket social media bans can only go so far to address, experts have warned.
Declining mental health around the globe has been linked to the rapid rise of social media, leading governments to move to introduce tough restrictions on their use among under 16s.
But mental health professionals and analysts said such steps are only one piece of the puzzle, with calls for more parental and school guidance to help those most at risk.
Since December 2025, children under 16 have been banned from holding social media accounts in Australia, with similar reforms considered in the UK, France and elsewhere.
A recent report on the rise of poor mental health released by the Manhattan Institute, a US think tank, claimed the negative impact of social media restrictions would be outweighed by the potential benefits for young people.
“Even if the weight of the evidence shows such bans to have positive effects, school smartphone bans are unlikely to be a panacea for youth mental-health issues,” said the report’s lead author, policy analyst Zach Goldberg.
“After all, individuals will still be connecting to social media before and after school, or perhaps on their laptops during school, as well as on weekends.
“Rather than imposing blanket restrictions, parents should be empowered with more effective tools for monitoring or restricting their kids’ social-media use.”
Mental health support at schools
The Manhattan Institute suggested a more bespoke approach to social media use in young people, based around their personality and character.
Proactive measures should involve both parents and educational institutions, with one preliminary idea for schools to administer personality and mental-health assessments at the beginning of the school year.
The results and implications of these assessments could then be communicated to parents, helping them understand whether their children were likely to be more susceptible to the negative effects of social media.
'Mood swings and anxiety'
“A growing number of young people report difficulties with mood, anxiety and sleep in the context of high screen time,” said Dr Sneha John, a psychologist at the Medcare Camali Clinic, Dubai.
“Late-night scrolling, performance pressure, and exposure to constant updates can contribute to emotional overload and disrupted rest. These patterns are increasingly recognised across many communities.”
The number of young people in the US, aged 18-21, who accessed social media several times a day soared from around 14 per cent in 2006 to 45 per cent five years later.
In older adults, a 10 per cent increase was seen, to around 16 per cent of those aged 22 and above in the same period.
A similar pattern has been observed in the UAE, and around the world.
“Current research points to both benefits and challenges of social media, which can support creativity, connection, and self-expression,” said Dr John.
“But it also places a developing brain in a fast-paced environment designed for constant stimulation, which can shape attention, emotional regulation, and reward pathways.
“The overall impact depends heavily on frequency of use, content consumed, and the level of guidance provided by adults.”
Vulnerable women
Rates of depression and anxiety have soared in the past decade, with women more vulnerable to the negative impact of social media than men, the Manhattan Institute’s report suggested.
But while women were more likely to experience mental health challenges, reported suicide rates are significantly higher in men.
Dr Jane Halsall, a chartered counselling psychologist at Cornerstone Clinic Dubai, said the rapid rise of smartphones and social media fundamentally reshaped adolescence.
“Platforms became a 24/7 arena for comparison, validation, and identity formation,” she said.
“Research has shown how young women already socially conditioned to be attuned to appearance and belonging found themselves under a constant digital gaze.
“From a psychological perspective, this activated powerful mechanisms: social comparison, issues around identity and fear of exclusion.
“We know this has contributed to an increase in anxiety, perfectionism, and emotional fatigue,” Dr Jane Halsall added.
"Rising distress among young women is linked to academic pressure, economic uncertainty, identity development, and a constant stream of global crises, all amplified by digital exposure.
"These are multilayered, interacting factors, not the product of a single cultural shift.”
Since 2011, the mental health trend lines for males and females in the US revealed a dramatic worsening among females aged 18-21.
By 2021, the Mental Health Index among young females was nearly twice as high as young males in analysis by Morneau Shepell, one of the world’s largest employee assistance programmes.
“There’s no doubt that we are seeing a rise in mental health challenges among young women, but reducing it to a single cause oversimplifies something far more layered,” said Haya Bitar, a leadership and personal transformation expert in Dubai.
“What feels more accurate, from what I see in my work, is a growing disconnect from the self.
“In the wider digital landscape, what is presented is often curated, performative or incomplete, yet it is absorbed as truth," Ms Bitar said.
“This is not just a mental health crisis; it’s a crisis of self-trust.
“Rebuilding that doesn’t come from removing access or silencing conversations.
“It comes from helping young women reconnect, learning to pause, question what they’re consuming and most importantly, come back to what feels true for them.”
