Understanding Technology, Social Media, and It’s Correlation to Serious Injury or Death In Youth and Teens
- The White Hatter
- Jun 29
- 11 min read
It’s becoming more common to come across sweeping claims online suggesting that phones with social media access are inherently dangerous. Some go as far as to say that these devices are responsible for harming, injuring, or even killing large numbers of children in the U.S. and Canada each year. One widely circulated example includes a statement claiming, “social media and phones are causing thousands of deaths of young people every year.” A well-known celebrity with a massive following even declared, “giving social media to a teenage girl is like handing them a gun.” These types of generalizations, though emotionally powerful, often lack the evidence needed to support the seriousness of such claims. This article weighs the best evidence available in 2025 that we could find, and shows why proportionate, research‑based risk management, not blanket bans, is the sound path forward.
Are some youth seriously injured due to their interactions with technology and social media? Yes! Do some youth die due to their proximal interaction with technology and social media? Yes! However, are there “thousands” every year that die or are seriously injured because of their use of technology and social media? Let’s look at what the available research tells us.
We must emphasize that when even one youth or teen is seriously injured or dies, the devastation to families is profound. Naturally, when digital tools like smartphones and social media are involved proximal to those injuries or death, understandably, emotions run high and reactions often follow, especially when it comes to pointing the finger of blame. Some call for outright bans on phones and social media. Others, label these technologies as dangerous or even lethal. However, the full picture is more complicated.
There’s a strong preponderance of evidence that social media can amplify existing risks, especially when it comes to sleep loss, online bullying, and comparison to others. (1) Late-night scrolling can interfere with healthy sleep patterns, which are already fragile during adolescence. Exposure to cyberbullying, exclusion, online grooming, or toxic content can sometimes worsen feelings of depression or anxiety in some youth and teens. Constant comparisons to the curated lives of peers or influencers can lead “some” teens to feel inadequate or hopeless. If a teen is already vulnerable, these factors can compound their distress. Social media doesn’t necessarily cause suicidal thoughts, but it is fair to say that it can make those thoughts feel more urgent or overwhelming for some youth and teens.
It’s also worth noting that suicide rates among teens were actually higher in the early 1990s than in the years immediately following the introduction of smartphones. (2) So, if cellphones and social media weren’t around, why were the rates of teen suicide higher? This doesn’t mean social media isn’t a part of today’s onlife challenges, but it reminds us that mental heath and suicide is a complex issue with many contributing factors that include social, emotional, environmental, and psychological factors and not just technological. (3)
Documented Digital‑Platform Fatalities:
There are specific cases where digital platforms have been directly linked to tragic outcomes. Since 2022, at least six teens in Canada and over forty in the United States have taken their own lives after falling victim to online sextortion. (4) In these cases, predators manipulated and blackmailed victims into sending explicit images, then threatened to release them unless they paid or complied further. The resulting shame and fear have pushed some teens to feel that suicide was the only way out. These incidents reveal how online exploitation, especially financial sextortion targeting boys, is a growing and urgent risk.
Some online challenges, particularly those that go viral, have also been linked to serious harm. The “blackout challenge,” which encourages self-asphyxiation for a temporary high, has been blamed for roughly twenty child deaths since 2021 (likely under reported), although this data comes mostly from lawsuits and news reports. (5) However, the same challenge led to over eighty documented youth deaths in the United States between 1995 and 2007, well before smartphones were common with teens. (again, likely underreported) (6) This points to the fact that dangerous behaviours aren’t new, we have just become more aware of these injuries and deaths because of social media, than in the past.
Other examples like the Tide-Pod challenge, the Skull-Breaker challenge, or the boiling water challenge have each resulted in hospitalizations or sometimes fatalities, but these cases are still relatively rare when compared to other risks youth face that we will speak to later in this article.
We found 4 official cases where coroners have determined that social media or cellphone use played a role in a death. In the United Kingdom, a 2022 coroner’s inquest concluded that negative content viewed on social media contributed to the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell. (7) In Canada, the deaths of Amanda Todd in 2012 and Rehtaeh Parsons in 2013 were both linked to cyberbullying and online abuse, and social media was explicitly mentioned in the investigations. There was also a case in Ontario in 2002 where a distracted driver, using a cellphone, failed to see railway warnings and was killed. (8) These cases show that digital tools can be contributing factors, especially when it comes to distraction caused injury or death (9), but they are rarely the sole cause when it comes to other types of youth or teen mental health challenges such as self-harm and suicidal ideations.
Drug overdoses are another area where social media is definitely playing a role in youth harm. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has confirmed that it’s investigating hundreds of overdose deaths linked to drugs purchased through social media platforms over the past several years - notice they stated hundreds and not thousands (10) Apps like Snapchat and Instagram are often used by dealers to advertise pills that can unknowing be laced with fentanyl. Many of these pills are disguised as popular recreational drugs, making them especially dangerous for teens. The DEA estimate that a significant portion, up to 80 percent, of recent teen fentanyl deaths involved some kind of online contact with a dealer. For context, similar drug-related deaths occurred long before social media, when youth and adults met up at parties, arcades, used landlines or pagers, to contact dealers and arrange drug purchases.
However, social media, while not without risk as mentioned above, can also serve as a source of connection, early intervention, and even prevention.
Research shows that social media can help young people who are struggling with mental health challenges, including suicidal thoughts. (11) Online spaces can offer critical lifelines, particularly for teens who feel isolated in their offline environments. Many youth turn to supportive communities on platforms like Reddit, Discord, or even Instagram to share what they’re going through and find others who understand. These connections can reduce feelings of loneliness and increase the sense of belonging, both of which are known to build resilience and lower suicide risk. Peer-support groups, when well-moderated, are often safer spaces for teens to express distress than silence or secrecy.
In addition to providing emotional support, social media platforms now offer new ways to detect and intervene early. Tools that monitor language and behaviour patterns online can help flag individuals who may be at imminent risk of harming themselves. Some school districts in North America use software to monitor school-issued devices and accounts, allowing counsellors to be alerted if a student’s messages suggest suicidal intent. On a broader scale, researchers are developing ways to identify community-level spikes in suicide risk by analyzing social media activity in real time, a process known as “nowcasting.” (12) This gives public health professionals and crisis teams the ability to act weeks or months before official data catches up.
Still, there is a lot we don’t know. While some teens benefit from social media use, others may find that the same platforms intensify feelings of hopelessness or distress. The question now being studied by researchers, such as psychologist Dr Amy Orben, is, “who are these smaller cohorts of youth and why are they more susceptible.” (13)
Studies investigating time spent on sites related to suicide or self-harm have found mixed results when it comes to mental health. Some teens who frequent these forums report feeling better understood and less alone. Others may become more vulnerable, especially if they encounter content that normalizes self-harm or glamorizes suicidal behaviour. Outcomes often depend on the nature of the content, the tone of the conversations, and whether the space is moderated or unfiltered. The research also supports the fact that often when it comes to mental health and suicide there are often significant confounding factors, one of which may be cellphones and social media (14). Even if the cellphone or social media was removed from the equation, these other confounding factors are enough to lead to self-harm and suicidal ideations.
As parents and caregivers, it’s important to understand what the research actually tells us, so that we can respond with clarity, rather than fear or emotion.
What About The Higher‑Probability Hazards Youth Face Every Year
If the argument is that cellphones and social media should be banned because they pose a risk of injury or even death to youth, then we need to ask why this same logic isn’t being applied to other, more statistically supported risks, like sexual misconduct in schools.
In Canada, between 2017 and 2021, at least 500 students were reported to have been victimized or allegedly victimized by 252 school employees. That’s about 125 students per year, or roughly 2.5 victims for every 100,000 students. (15) In the United States, 11.7 % of students had experienced at least one form of educator sexual misconduct (verbal, visual, or physical) during grades K-12. Most perpetrators were teachers (63 %) or coaches/gym staff (20 %) (16)
What about the research that has found about 4% of religious leaders in Canada and the United States have sexually abused youth and teens. (17)(18)
Studies leave little doubt that sexual violence no matter if the perpetrator was a stranger or someone who the youth or teen knows, loves, or trusts, is a major red-flag for suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. A 2020 meta-analysis examined 25 data sets covering 88,376 participants and compared people who had experienced sexual assault with those who had not. Suicidal ideations was reported by 27 percent of survivors versus 9 percent of non-survivors, a three-fold difference that held up regardless of age or gender mix in the samples. (19)
A Pediatrics meta-analysis of 37 studies found that boys and girls who were sexually abused had roughly triple the odds of a suicide attempt later in life compared with peers who were not abused. The association remained after statistical adjustment for depression, substance use and other adversities, indicating that sexual abuse itself is an independent risk factor. (20)
These numbers are troubling. Even so, no one is pushing to keep children out of schools or churches. We recognize that these settings are not entirely risk-free, yet they remain vital parts of community life. Instead of banning attendance, we rely on strong policies, safety training, support systems, and legal protections to keep kids safe.
What about the real risks of allowing a youth or teen to be a passenger or driver in a car. Transport Canada recorded 136 deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds in motor-vehicle crashes. That puts the fatal-crash rate at roughly 6.2 deaths per 100,000 teens. (21) In the United States the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports 2,883 deaths among 13- to 19-year-olds in motor-vehicle crashes, yielding a fatal-crash rate close to 9–10 deaths per 100,000 teens (22)
Car crashes involving youth and teens are a real concern. Yet we don’t see campaigns demanding that young people be barred from riding in or driving cars. Families accept that travel carries risk, but daily life still requires it. We manage the danger by insisting on seat belts, airbags, child car seats, graduated licensing, thorough driver education, support systems, and clear legal standards.
One more example to provide context to the thesis of this article, when it comes to youth and teens. When it comes to drowning in Canada, those under the age of 19 account for approximately 75 deaths every year (23) In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calculates that about 800-900 youth and teens drowned each year from 2020–2022, placing the youth share at roughly 20 percent of all U.S. drowning deaths. (24)
Drowning is a real danger for youth and teens. Even so, no one is organizing a movement to keep kids away from lakes, rivers, or pools while they fish, boat, hike, or swim. Families know that water carries risk, yet the experiences it offers are worth protecting. Instead of banning access, we manage the hazard; we put life jackets on kids, enrol them in swimming lessons, follow boating safety rules, and keep a close watch on younger children.
The numbers of serious injuries when it comes to being a passenger in a car, drowning, or the survivor of a sexual assault by a school official or church leader dwarf confirmed tech‑linked serious injury or death counts, underscoring the need for proportional responses.
So why are some people only applying a zero-risk management standard to cellphones and social media? If the argument is based on risk alone, then we’d have to apply that same logic across the board. But we don’t, because risk management, not risk elimination, is the approach we take in almost every other area of youth life as mentioned above. It’s our argument that the same should apply to cellphones and social media as well.
Risk management in youth safety rarely seeks a zero‑fatality standard. We install seatbelts instead of banning cars, teach swimming instead of forbidding lakes, oceans, or pools. Smartphones and social media deserve the same calibrated approach. Bans sound decisive, but they overlook both low‑frequency relative risk and the proven benefits of digital connection.
So what can parents do? The most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open. Ask your teen about what they see online, how it makes them feel, and whether they’ve ever come across content related to suicide or self-harm. If you ask calmly and without judgment, most teens will talk. Make it clear that they can come to you or another trusted adult if something ever feels too big to handle alone.
Make your home a place where good sleep is protected. This means setting boundaries around screens at night and keeping phones out of bedrooms when possible. Encourage critical thinking by helping your teen recognize when content is meant to manipulate, sell, or shock. Show them how to report harmful content, filter search results, and adjust their privacy settings. Let them know that there’s no shame in using these tools, it’s part of responsible online behaviour.
It’s also helpful to create a plan in advance for how your teen can reach out for help if they feel overwhelmed. For some families, this might mean agreeing on a code word they can text to signal distress. For others, it might mean building a broader network of trusted adults like teachers, coaches, or relatives, who your child feels comfortable turning to. And finally, keep crisis resources visible and normalized. In Canada, youth can call or text 9-8-8. In the U.S., they can dial or text 988.
In the end, cellphones and social media is not inherently harmful or inherently safe. It’s a tool, one that reflects the best and worst of the human experience. By staying informed, staying connected, and supporting digital literacy at home, parents and caregivers can help ensure that social media serves as a lifeline rather than a liability.
Some people online claim that “social media and phones are causing thousands of deaths among young people every year” or that “putting social media in a teenage girl’s hands is like handing her a gun.” Such dramatic lines are often used to argue for banning youth from technology and social platforms. The problem with this, they rest on fear and isolated anecdotes, not on solid research. We found no credible studies or official reports showing death or serious-injury numbers anywhere near the “thousands of teens every year” they promote. The evidence base is still growing, but the data we have so far does not justify these extreme conclusions.
Losing a young person is heartbreaking, whether it involves a cellphone, social media, a car ride, or a swim in a lake. Protecting our children starts with solid facts, not inflated numbers, that are pulled from who knows where, and then combined with fear-based stories to support an agenda or narrative, that current research simply doesn’t support.
Note:
We want to acknowledge some of the limitations of the current evidence used in this article such as:
Social‑media platforms and features change quickly and therefore risk profiles can shift within months.
Many sextortion and overdose deaths are under‑reported or still under investigation.
Coroner determinations vary by jurisdiction, which complicates cross‑country comparisons.
Continued longitudinal research is essential. Still, today’s best data show that large‑scale claims of “thousands of deaths annually” linked directly to phones or social media are unsubstantiated.
If there are good evidence based research studies that find otherwise, we would love for the reader to send them our way for review and consideration.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
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