As a result, many teenagers find their sleep delayed, interrupted or even cut short. And they’re increasingly aware of it.

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, more than four in 10 teenagers (45%) recognise that, generally speaking, social networks harm the amount of sleep they get. But that’s not their only collateral damage.

The over-use of screens also impinges on their effectiveness in daily life, since 40% of young people surveyed feel that their productivity is affected by social media, and 22% observe a concrete impact on their school grades.

However, when it comes to their mental health, the majority of teenagers temper their judgment.

Half of them feel that social networks have neither a positive nor a negative effect on their psychological well-being. Only 19% say they feel a harmful impact, while 10% feel, on the contrary, that these platforms are beneficial.

The same applies to self-confidence: 19% of young people say that social media helps them to feel better about themselves, while 15% feel that these platforms hurt their confidence. But here again, neutrality dominates, with 46% perceiving neither gain nor loss.

Girls, in particular, appear to be more exposed to the negative effects of social networks. Indeed, 50% of girls say their sleep is disturbed by their use of Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat, versus 40% of boys. When it comes to mental health, 25% of teenage girls evoke a harmful effect, versus 14% of boys. Their self-confidence is also more often shaken, since 20% of girls say that social networks have affected their self-confidence, versus only 10% of boys.

Despite this mixed picture, one positive point emerges: friendships. In this respect, social media appears to be an invaluable resource, since 3 in 10 teenagers say their use of it has strengthened their friendships, while only 7% feel it has damaged them. However, almost half (43%) feel that this impact remains neutral.