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News
A new JAMA Pediatrics study finds that harmful online experiences are widespread among US adolescents — and the platform makes a big difference. Over half of teens reported sleep disruption from technology, and digital exposure to violent, self-harm, and sexual content far outpaced offline encounters. Instagram and TikTok stood out as the platforms most linked to negative self-perception and violent imagery.
A nationally representative pilot survey of 472 US adolescents (mean age 14.9 years), published in JAMA Pediatrics, reveals that harmful online experiences are alarmingly common — and not evenly distributed across platforms. Researchers assessed exposure to harassment, violent content, self-harm encouragement, and unwanted sexual imagery across 20 platforms over a four-week period.
The findings paint a stark picture: digital spaces consistently exposed teens to more harm than offline environments. Unwanted sexual imagery was seen online by 13.4% of teens vs. just 2.0% offline, and content encouraging self-harm was nearly twice as prevalent online (9.7%) as offline (5.2%). Meanwhile, more than half of all adolescents reported technology-related sleep disruption.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings underscore that platform design — not just internet use broadly — shapes adolescent risk. For clinicians and policymakers, this signals an urgent need for platform-specific, evidence-based interventions to protect teen mental health and safety in an increasingly digital world.
