Social media ‘likes’, infinite scrolling and direct messaging linked to poorer youth mental health

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Direct messaging – private one-to-one or group chats – can expose young users to unknown adults, creating opportunities for cyberbullying, sexual grooming, harassment or unwanted sexual content

The risk is heightened by anonymous or pseudonymous accounts. They reduce accountability, embolden bad behaviour and make it harder for victims to identify or report the people targeting them.

Infinite scroll and autoplay keep users on platforms longer, and may have been “deliberately designed” to maximise engagement time....create what the panel called “an effectively boundless stream of content” that plays on people’s urge to keep seeking something new.

Feeds that rank content by engagement can end up showing users more harmful content than they would otherwise encounter. This is because distressing or emotionally charged content tends to get more engagement

Visible metrics – “like” counts, follower numbers and public comments – can worsen social comparison and the need for validation, with damaging effects on self-esteem and emotional well-being

 can intensify social comparison, which can fuel body-image concerns and unhealthy eating habits, often driven by idealised portrayals of others’ lives online.