Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted a media briefing on February 26, 2026, to discuss the evolving role increased smartphone use and digital media play in well-being, including emerging mental and behavioral health impacts, and the growing conversation around a healthy digital balance.
As digital media – apps like Instagram, TikTok, and other popular smartphone platforms – become increasingly embedded in daily lives, experts are examining both the risks and opportunities associated with this shift. The briefing explored the science on social media use disorder and addiction, as well as evidence of links between social media and mental health harms among children, teens, and adults.
Topics discussed:
Smartphone and social media use disorder and addiction, including warning signs and risk factors.
The prevalence of digital media use and trends showing increasing rates of engagement.
Emerging use of AI and chatbots amongst youth, and its impacts on mental health.
Potential positive uses of digital media, including the delivery of evidence-based mental and behavioral health interventions users can take to reduce problematic digital media use.
The current state of the science on social media’s mental health impacts and how a “digital balance” framework could inform future public health guidelines.
Insights from:
Tamar Mendelson, PhD, a Bloomberg Professor of American Health and Director of the Center for Adolescent Health, with joint appointments in the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is also core faculty at the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. Her research focuses on strategies to promote mental health among adolescents in under-resourced urban communities.
Johannes Thrul, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His work examines the behavioral and psychological aspects of social media use.
Links:
Tamar Mendelson
https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/people/tamar-mendelson-phd
Johannes Thrul
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/3542/johannes-thrul
Bloomberg American Health Initiative
https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/
Mental Health in the Scroll Age
https://magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/mental-health-scroll-age
Social media is fueling a public health crisis for children and teens. Experts say accountability is overdue.
https://washingtondc.jhu.edu/news/social-media-mental-health-policy/
Kids Turning to Chatbot Therapy
hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/2025/09/kids-turning-to-chatbot-therapy
What's behind the ban on cell phones in K-12 schools?
https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/09/23/school-cell-phone-bans-qa/
Social Media and Youth Mental Health
hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
01:30 Positive and negative aspects of social media
3:16 What’s known about social media and mental health
6:30 What parents can do
9:28 Why teens are particularly vulnerable
10:10 How social media affects older adults
11:15 AI chatbot use
14:53 Social media use disorder
16:32 Addiction aspects of social media
19:40 Is it possible to train the algorithm to support mental health?
20:36 Smartphone bans in schools
22:14 Minimum age limits
23:50 Benefits and risks
25:14 Dangers of AI chatbots
27:15 How parents can help
27:56 Guardrails are needed for technology use
https://publichealth.jhu.edu
instagram.com/JohnsHopkinsSPH
facebook.com/JohnsHopkinsSPH
twitter.com/johnshopkinssph
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted a media briefing on February 26, 2026, to discuss the evolving role increased smartphone use and digital media play in well-being, including emerging mental and behavioral health impacts, and the growing conversation around a healthy digital balance.
As digital media – apps like Instagram, TikTok, and other popular smartphone platforms – become increasingly embedded in daily lives, experts are examining both the risks and opportunities associated with this shift. The briefing explored the science on social media use disorder and addiction, as well as evidence of links between social media and mental health harms among children, teens, and adults.
Topics discussed:
Smartphone and social media use disorder and addiction, including warning signs and risk factors.
The prevalence of digital media use and trends showing increasing rates of engagement.
Emerging use of AI and chatbots amongst youth, and its impacts on mental health.
Potential positive uses of digital media, including the delivery of evidence-based mental and behavioral health interventions users can take to reduce problematic digital media use.
The current state of the science on social media’s mental health impacts and how a “digital balance” framework could inform future public health guidelines.
Insights from:
Tamar Mendelson, PhD, a Bloomberg Professor of American Health and Director of the Center for Adolescent Health, with joint appointments in the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is also core faculty at the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. Her research focuses on strategies to promote mental health among adolescents in under-resourced urban communities.
Johannes Thrul, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His work examines the behavioral and psychological aspects of social media use.
Links:
Tamar Mendelson
https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/people/tamar-mendelson-phd
Johannes Thrul
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/3542/johannes-thrul
Bloomberg American Health Initiative
https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/
Mental Health in the Scroll Age
https://magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/mental-health-scroll-age
Social media is fueling a public health crisis for children and teens. Experts say accountability is overdue.
https://washingtondc.jhu.edu/news/social-media-mental-health-policy/
Kids Turning to Chatbot Therapy
hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/2025/09/kids-turning-to-chatbot-therapy
What's behind the ban on cell phones in K-12 schools?
https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/09/23/school-cell-phone-bans-qa/
Social Media and Youth Mental Health
hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
01:30 Positive and negative aspects of social media
3:16 What’s known about social media and mental health
6:30 What parents can do
9:28 Why teens are particularly vulnerable
10:10 How social media affects older adults
11:15 AI chatbot use
14:53 Social media use disorder
16:32 Addiction aspects of social media
19:40 Is it possible to train the algorithm to support mental health?
20:36 Smartphone bans in schools
22:14 Minimum age limits
23:50 Benefits and risks
25:14 Dangers of AI chatbots
27:15 How parents can help
27:56 Guardrails are needed for technology use
https://publichealth.jhu.edu
instagram.com/JohnsHopkinsSPH
facebook.com/JohnsHopkinsSPH
twitter.com/johnshopkinssph
