The social dilemma: What social media is doing to your child’s mind

             Written by: Ehsan Siddiqui

1 December 2025

For kids growing up online, social media feels fun, fast, and exciting, but its constant stimulation comes with downsides. Here are 5 critical ways social media impacts children's well-being.

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Overexposure to fast-paced content decreases kids' attention span. As a result, they find it harder for kids to concentrate on slower, real-world situations.

Decreased Attention Span

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Late-night scrolling exposes kids to blue light, which suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin. Poor sleep directly impacts mood, attention, memory, and behavior, reducing emotional stability the next day. 

Disrupted Sleep

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Spending more time on social media frequently substitutes face-to-face connections in children's lives. They may lose patience during real-life interactions and struggle with empathy or deeper social bonds. 

Harder to Socialize Offline

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Continuous scrolling and notifications overstimulate children's brains. This impairs their emotional regulation, making them more irritable, impatient, and easily frustrated. 

Mood Swings

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Filtered photos and beauty ideals hit self-esteem hard, especially in girls. Over time, this might undermine their self-esteem, make them overly concerned of appearance, and generate negative body image concepts. 

Self-esteem Issues

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