Kids, screen time and mental health

By Sheilah Kast,

Melissa Gerr

Published June 4, 2025 at 10:10 AM EDT

Excessive social media interaction can pose risks, especially for young people: comparisons that shred self-esteem, conversations that foster bullying and outrage. And even the time young people spend on screens can disrupt sleep, which can contribute to anxiety or depression. Photo: Rachel Baye — Excessive social media interaction can pose risks, especially for young people: comparisons that shred self-esteem, conversations that foster bullying and outrage. And even the time young people spend on screens can disrupt sleep, which can contribute to feelings of anxiety or depression. Photo: Rachel Baye

Professionals worry there’s a mental-health crisis among young people; some say social media and excessive screen time makes it worse. We ask Dr. Ernestine Briggs-King, a licensed psychologist in charge of the Department of Family and Community Interventions at Kennedy Krieger Institute, how parents can safely curb its use and build “digital resilience.’’

Links: Get Help - 988 Lifeline (resource for getting support), Parents' Ultimate Guides | Common Sense Media.

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Sheilah Kast

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.

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Melissa Gerr

Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'

See stories by Melissa Gerr