Recent media headlines have attributed the rise in mental ill-health of young people to the parallel increase in their access to smartphones and social media. However, correlation does not prove causation, and the research literature paints a far more nuanced picture of the benefits and risks of screen time and social media. While there are risks associated with the online world, the alarmist headlines do not consider the other complex societal factors that are also contributing to the rise in youth mental ill-health.

This brief explores both the benefits and risks to young people’s mental health and discusses how to harness the positive aspects of the digital environment while averting or minimising potential mental health harms among young Australians.