Government Report

Frequent Social Media Use and Experiences with Bullying Victimization, Persistent Feelings of Sadness or Hopelessness, and Suicide Risk

Jan 2024 🇺🇸 CDC Ages 14–18

Suicide and self-harm are complex and never caused by one factor alone. Problematic screen use, cyberbullying, harmful content, and online exploitation may increase risk or intensify existing distress. If someone is in immediate danger or emotional crisis in the United States, call or text 988.

Outside the U.S.? Find your local helpline at findahelpline.com.

This CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report supplement analyzes 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data on U.S. high school students, examining how frequent social media use relates to experiences with bullying victimization, persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and suicide-risk indicators such as having seriously considered or attempted suicide. Students who reported more frequent social media use also reported higher rates of being bullied — including online — and higher rates of persistent sadness, hopelessness, and suicide-risk indicators, compared with students reporting less frequent use. The report presents these as patterns observed across a large national survey, not as evidence that social media use by itself causes bullying or suicide risk; suicide and self-harm are complex outcomes shaped by many factors together. TechKids Foundation cites this report to describe cyberbullying and self-harm risk as warning signs associated with heavy social media use, never as a single-cause claim.

Frequent use, higher risk

Students reporting more frequent social media use also reported higher rates of bullying victimization, including online bullying.

Sadness & hopelessness

Frequent social media use was associated with higher rates of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

Suicide-risk indicators

Frequent social media use was associated with higher rates of suicide-risk indicators, including having seriously considered suicide.

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CITATION

CDC MMWR: Frequent Social Media Use and Experiences with Bullying Victimization, Persistent Feelings of Sadness or Hopelessness, and Suicide Risk — YRBS 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a3.htm

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