Screens aren't destroying young minds, Gen Z psychologist says

Source: washingtonpost.com

TL;DR

• Gen Z psychologist argues social media helped his generation rather than ruining it.
• Youth mental health predictors are social support, resilience, and belonging, not screen hours.[[1]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health)[[2]](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stephenbalkam_opinion-screens-arent-destroying-young-activity-7449272027066036224-3HD5)
• Phone bans ignore real anxiety causes like weak relationships and lack of purpose.

The story at a glance

Gen Z psychologist Adam Omary, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, writes an opinion piece pushing back on claims that social media destroys youth mental health. He draws from personal experience growing up with platforms and his research to argue they provided benefits. This comes amid rising calls for laws restricting teen phone and social media use, following trends in places like Australia.[[3]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzc2MDUyODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc3NDM1MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NzYwNTI4MDAsImp0aSI6IjcyMWI2YzQ1LWQwZTAtNDA5NC05OWQ0LTgxYzdlN2M3YmVlZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDI2LzA0LzEyL3NvY2lhbC1tZWRpYS1iYW4teW91dGgtbWVudGFsLWhlYWx0aC8ifQ.pa9rxa2iAwqqQ3BBHLB7AjQ1vVvQUjfpv59egXW6vmo)[[4]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health/)

Key points

• Omary, who grew up using social media, says it helped him and his peers connect and cope, unlike older researchers who did not.[[3]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzc2MDUyODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc3NDM1MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NzYwNTI4MDAsImp0aSI6IjcyMWI2YzQ1LWQwZTAtNDA5NC05OWQ0LTgxYzdlN2M3YmVlZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDI2LzA0LzEyL3NvY2lhbC1tZWRpYS1iYW4teW91dGgtbWVudGFsLWhlYWx0aC8ifQ.pa9rxa2iAwqqQ3BBHLB7AjQ1vVvQUjfpv59egXW6vmo)
• Time spent on screens does not predict poor mental health; instead, factors like social support, personal resilience, and sense of belonging do.[[1]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health)
• Proposed laws banning or limiting youth phone and social media access fail to address root causes of adolescent anxiety.[[1]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health)
• Social media offered Gen Z tools for expression and community that prior generations lacked.

Details and context

The piece responds to a surge in policy proposals, such as Australia's under-16 social media ban and U.S. state efforts like Massachusetts' push for restrictions, amid fears of a youth mental health crisis.[[5]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/12/social-media-ban-children) Omary's view aligns with his prior work questioning overdiagnosis in youth mental health issues, like autism and anxiety, often blaming broader factors over tech.[[6]](https://www.cato.org/commentary/autism-epidemic-myth)

Bans may not work, as teens often bypass them via VPNs, and evidence linking social media directly to widespread harm remains mixed, with some studies showing no causal rise in depression from usage.[[7]](https://www.pbs.org/video/25000-teens-3-years-groundbreaking-social-media-and-mental-health-study-tuljeq)

Key quotes

"As a member of Gen Z, I have studied the effects of social media on adolescent mental health from a perspective most psychology researchers lack: I grew up under its influence."[[3]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/12/social-media-ban-youth-mental-health/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzc2MDUyODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc3NDM1MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NzYwNTI4MDAsImp0aSI6IjcyMWI2YzQ1LWQwZTAtNDA5NC05OWQ0LTgxYzdlN2M3YmVlZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDI2LzA0LzEyL3NvY2lhbC1tZWRpYS1iYW4teW91dGgtbWVudGFsLWhlYWx0aC8ifQ.pa9rxa2iAwqqQ3BBHLB7AjQ1vVvQUjfpv59egXW6vmo)

Why it matters

Social media restrictions could limit tools many youth use for support without fixing underlying issues like isolation or poor coping skills. For parents and teens, it means focusing on building real-world resilience over blanket tech bans may yield better outcomes. Watch for U.S. federal or state votes on age limits, though enforcement challenges could limit impact.