How Social Media Affects Mental Health: A B2 Lesson

Level: B2

Printable: Student handout (PDF) | Teacher’s key (PDF)

Reading

It is eleven at night, and you are supposed to wind down. You pick up your phone to answer one message. Forty minutes later you are still scrolling, tired and vaguely annoyed by a stranger’s holiday photos. The harder question is whether it adds up to a mental health problem, and scientists disagree about the answer.

Large studies give a calmer picture than many news stories. When researchers compare young people’s screen use with their well-being, the correlation is usually negative but small. In one analysis of hundreds of thousands of teenagers, screen use explained less than half of one percent of the differences, and bullying and poor sleep were more strongly linked to well-being. But an average can hide a lot. If social media helps some people and hurts others, the two effects may cancel out. So the useful question is who is affected, and how.

Gender appears to matter. A World Health Organization report on a survey of around 280,000 young people in 44 countries and regions found that girls were more likely than boys to struggle to control their use, while boys were more likely to have problems with gaming. In British data on 14-year-olds, the link between heavy use and symptoms of depression was also stronger for girls. Online harassment, lost sleep, and constant comparison with other people’s lives are plausible explanations, though these studies show links, not proven causes. Age matters too. In one large UK study, girls seemed most vulnerable between 11 and 13, and boys between 14 and 15, a pattern researchers suggest may reflect puberty, which starts later in boys. The negative link was most pronounced in young adolescents, and the gap between girls and boys appeared only then.

How you use social media may matter more than how long you use it. A US study that followed thousands of children from about age ten found that total screen time did not predict later problems, but a rising pattern of compulsive use was linked to worse mental health. Time, in other words, is a blunt measure. Researchers also contrast passive use, such as scrolling, with active use, such as chatting with friends, which is often linked to slightly better well-being. Yet in a Dutch study of 14- and 15-year-olds, almost half felt better after passive use, about four in ten noticed no change, and roughly one in ten felt worse. For some teenagers, an hour of messaging can be a lifeline; for others, a trap.

Most research has focused on teenagers; for older adults the picture is milder and less clear. Some studies suggest that social media may reduce loneliness, but the evidence is tentative. A 2025 analysis that pooled results from many studies found no clear overall link between social media use and loneliness in older adults, though studies done before the Covid-19 pandemic pointed to a small benefit. What social media does to an older person’s mood seems to depend on who is using it and why.

Does social media cause these problems, or do unhappy people simply use it more? Both may be true: in the UK study, falling life satisfaction also predicted later social media use. In a three-week experiment with US university students, those who limited Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to about thirty minutes a day became less lonely and less depressed than those who carried on as usual. Yet a 2025 review of adults who briefly stopped using social media found no significant effect on mood, while another review of trials asking people to cut back found a small improvement. The psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the evidence points clearly to harm, especially for girls. Critics such as the psychologist Candice Odgers dismiss the idea that social media is driving an epidemic of teenage mental illness, noting that most evidence is correlational.

Meanwhile, the practical advice is modest. Notice how you feel after you log off, instead of counting minutes. Keep your phone out of the bedroom, since sleep seems to be a main route from heavy use to low mood. If you cannot reduce your use even though you want to, talk to a doctor, a counselor, or someone you trust. Many people may find that the benefits outweigh the costs, provided that the habit stays under their control. Australia began enforcing a minimum age of 16 for major platforms in December 2025, and researchers there plan to follow young people for several years. Their findings may show which of today’s arguments holds up.

Vocabulary

Each word has a frequency score, a rank, and a tag. The score shows how common the word is in modern English: higher means more common, and each full point means roughly ten times more common. The rank is the word’s position on a list of about 321,000 English word forms, from most to least common. The tag shows where you are most likely to meet the word: Current, Formal, Literary, or Dated. The paragraph number shows where the word first appears in the reading. The labels are information, not instructions. Deciding which words are worth your time is up to you. How to read the scores, ranks, and tags.

The opening scene shows a person who is supposed to wind down before sleep but keeps scrolling.
I read a book for half an hour to wind down after work.

Researchers found a small negative correlation between screen use and well-being.
There is a correlation between hot weather and ice cream sales, but one does not cause the other.

If social media helps some people and hurts others, the two effects may cancel out in the statistics.
My raise and my higher rent cancel out, so I have no more money than before.

Online harassment is one possible route from heavy social media use to low mood.
The company has strict rules against harassment at work.

Lost sleep is a plausible explanation for the link, but the studies do not prove it.
His excuse for being late sounded plausible, so nobody questioned it.

In one study, girls seemed most vulnerable to heavy social media use between 11 and 13.
Small shops are vulnerable when a large store opens nearby.

The negative link was most pronounced in young adolescents.
She speaks with a pronounced accent from the north of the country.

A rising pattern of compulsive use was linked to worse mental health in the US study.
He checks his email in a compulsive way, even at dinner.

Because time is a blunt measure, it hides how people actually use social media.
Average test scores are a blunt measure of how well a school teaches.

For some teenagers, an hour of messaging can be a lifeline.
For many farmers, the weekly market is an economic lifeline.

The evidence for older adults is tentative.
We made tentative plans to meet on Friday, but nothing is final.

The analysis pooled results from many studies of older adults.
The roommates pooled their money to buy a second-hand sofa.

The review looked at trials in which people were asked to cut back on social media.
I am trying to cut back on sugar this month.

Some critics dismiss the idea that social media is driving an epidemic of mental illness.
The manager dismissed my suggestion without even reading it.

Many people may find that the benefits of social media outweigh the costs.
For most travelers, the low price outweighs the long flight.

Activity Page

Open the activity page in a new tab

Speed Challenge

Answer 12 questions against the clock. Every wrong answer adds 5 seconds, and the lowest score wins. Open the speed challenge in a new tab.

Shadow Reading and Typing: My Phone and Me

This short text uses many of the words from this lesson. Use it for shadow reading (reading aloud along with a model) and for typing practice.

Last winter I noticed that I was checking my phone before I even got out of bed. At night I tried to wind down with a book, but my hand kept reaching for the screen. It felt almost compulsive, and I did not like it.

So I decided to cut back. I did not delete anything, because my group chats are a lifeline when my friends are far away. Instead, I kept my phone out of the bedroom and stopped scrolling before I went to sleep. My friends in other time zones can still reach me, and that matters more to me than the hours.

After two weeks I felt a little better, but I am careful about what that proves. It is plausible that more sleep helped, or that I was simply paying closer attention to my habits. My own experiment is a blunt tool, so I would call the result tentative.

Some of my friends dismiss the whole debate and say that social media is just part of normal life. Others feel vulnerable every time they open an app. I think the benefits can outweigh the costs, but only while I stay in control. Maybe the good and the bad cancel out for some people, and I just have to notice which side I am on.

How to practice

Read the text silently once and check any words you are unsure of.
Read it aloud slowly, one sentence at a time. On the typing page, the Listen button reads each line with your device’s voice, so you can listen first and then repeat.
Shadow: read aloud again at a natural speed, trying to keep a steady rhythm without stopping.
Record yourself, listen back, and note one sentence to practice again.
Type it on the typing page below and check your speed and accuracy.

Open the typing practice in a new tab

Comprehension Questions

What situation opens the reading, and what question does it lead to?
What did the large analysis of teenagers find about screen use and well-being?
Why does the writer say that an average can hide a lot?
According to the reading, how do girls and boys differ in their experience of social media?
At what ages did the UK study find that girls and boys seemed most vulnerable, and what explanation do researchers suggest?
Why does the writer call time a blunt measure, and what did the US study find instead?
What did the Dutch study show about individual differences, and why does that matter when we read an average?
How does the picture for older adults differ from the picture for teenagers?
What evidence does the reading give that experiments on limiting or stopping social media give mixed results, and how do Jonathan Haidt and Candice Odgers disagree?

IELTS-Style Questions

True, False, or Not Given: “Problematic social media use among young people has risen since 2018.” Explain your answer using evidence from the reading.
Yes, No, or Not Given: “The writer believes that the evidence on social media and mental health is already clear.” Explain your answer using evidence from the reading.
Author’s purpose: Why does the writer end with Australia’s minimum age for major platforms? Is the aim to show that the law works, to point to a real-world test of the debate, or to criticize the government?

AI Discussion Prompt

I just read an article about social media and mental health. It covered a large analysis suggesting a small average link, differences between girls and boys and between age groups, the idea that how people use social media matters more than how long they use it, evidence on older adults, experiments on cutting back, the disagreement between Jonathan Haidt and Candice Odgers, and Australia’s minimum age for major platforms. I am an English learner at about B2 level. Please ask me one question at a time, starting with how I use social media in a normal week. Respond to my ideas first, then briefly correct any language errors, and ask follow-up questions that make me explain my reasons.

AI Vocabulary Prompt

I want to practice vocabulary from an article about social media and mental health. Please quiz me on the following words one at a time, using a mix of question types: multiple choice, true/false, and sentence completion. Give me feedback after each answer before moving on, and bring back the words I miss later. Here are the words: wind down, correlation, cancel out, harassment, plausible, vulnerable, pronounced, compulsive, blunt, lifeline, tentative, pooled, cut back, dismiss, outweigh.

Discussion Questions

Which social media apps or messaging services do you use most? What do you use each one for?
How do you usually feel after an hour on social media: better, worse, or about the same? Why?
Have you ever tried to cut back on social media? What happened?
Do you wind down with your phone at night? How does it affect your sleep?
Think of a time when an online group or a message was a lifeline for you or someone you know. What made it so helpful?
The reading separates passive use, such as scrolling, from active use, such as chatting. Which describes your day more? Would you like to change that?
The reading says girls and boys may be affected at different ages. What differences between girls and boys, if any, have you noticed in how people your age use social media?
Why might comparing yourself with other people’s lives online affect some people more than others?
Older adults may use social media to stay in touch with family. How do the older people you know keep in contact with friends and relatives?
The reading says time is a blunt measure. If you wanted to judge how healthy someone’s social media habits are, what would you ask them?
Haidt and Odgers read much of the same research but reach different conclusions. How do you decide whom to believe when experts disagree?
Do you think a minimum age of 16 for social media would work where you live? What problems might it cause?
Some people say users should control their own habits; others say companies should change how apps are designed. Where do you stand, and why?
If more research showed that social media harms only a small minority of young people, how should society respond: with rules for everyone, or with support for those who struggle? Explain.

Language Focus: Noun Clauses with Whether, Who, How, and What

What it is: A noun clause is a group of words with its own subject and verb that works like a noun. It often begins with whether, who, how, what, or which, and it can be the subject, the object, or the complement of a sentence.

Why writers use it: Noun clauses let you talk about questions and uncertainty inside a statement, which is common in news and academic writing. Use statement word order, not question word order: write “how you use it,” not “how do you use it.” Use whether, not if, when the clause comes at the start of a sentence or after a preposition.

Examples from the reading:

“The harder question is whether it adds up to a mental health problem, and scientists disagree about the answer.”
“So the useful question is who is affected, and how.”
“How you use social media may matter more than how long you use it.”
“What social media does to an older person’s mood seems to depend on who is using it and why.”

Practice task: Rewrite these two questions as noun clauses after “Researchers want to know”: “Do boys react differently?” and “How much time do teenagers spend online?”

(Example answer: “Researchers want to know whether boys react differently. Researchers want to know how much time teenagers spend online.”)

Online Resources

Teens, screens and mental health (WHO Europe). The news release behind the survey figures in paragraph 3, including the differences between girls and boys.
Scientists find that the impact of social media on wellbeing varies across adolescence (University of Cambridge). A plain-language report on the UK study in paragraph 3, with the researchers’ own cautions about averages.
Addictive Use of Social Media, Not Total Time, Associated with Youth Mental Health (Columbia University Irving Medical Center). A short report on the US study of children in paragraph 4, which found that total screen time did not predict later problems.
The effect of social media on well-being differs from adolescent to adolescent (Scientific Reports, via PubMed Central). The open-access Dutch study from paragraph 4. It is technical, but the abstract gives the results in a few lines.
What can we learn from Australia’s social media ban for teens? (Knowable Magazine). A long feature on the Australian law in paragraph 7 and on why researchers still disagree about the evidence.