Community Health Needs Assessment Theme 2: Social Media and Technology are Central to the Lives of Youth.
The second major theme to come of our 2025 community health needs assessment is the major role social media and technology play in the lives of youth in St. Louis County, bringing both positive and negative impacts. All participants in every region agree on this point, though perspectives differ; parents and youth highlight more benefits, while educators and providers express greater concern.
In our 2025 community health needs assessment, we heard 10 major themes impacting youth mental and behavioral health in St. Louis County. See them all and learn how we conducted this assessment.
Youth See Benefits of Technology.
For youth, there is no clear boundary between “online life” and “real life.” Phones are the home of their friendships, conflicts, entertainment, and coping methods (e.g., music, videos, and group chats). Some apps and online communities offer belonging and provide access to hard-to-reach mental and behavioral health services and information. Although they acknowledge they waste time and experience cyberbullying or emotional distress online, youth overwhelmingly view the benefits as outweighing the harms.
Adults See Negative Impact.
According to parents, there are several advantages of social media, including community building, access to health information, job opportunities, and coping strategies. Many note that the internet allows their children to connect with others facing similar mental health challenges or social struggles – a feature that parents also value for themselves. Yet, parents and other adults describe social media as addictive and mostly harmful. Adults warn that social media negatively impacts youth identity and self-image, putting young people in a constant state of self-doubt and seeking validation. They also believe mobile device use, including but not limited to social media, is associated with weak problem-solving skills, diminished creativity, and poor teamwork. Mobile devices interfere with normal developmental stages of learning, according to educators.
Limiting Use of Technology.
Limiting technology use is a struggle. Parents express frustration that schools rely too heavily on digital tools for academic work (e.g., online assignments, modules) and communication (e.g., reminders, teacher messages), which is also mentioned in Theme 4. Educators and providers, in turn, note that a lack of screen-time limits at home impacts behaviors at school.
Despite all the harm, adults agree that mobile devices are—and will remain—a major part of youth life. They emphasize the need for more effective and targeted strategies to limit technology use. Participants call for increasing real-world opportunities for social interactions as a counterbalance.
We spoke to more than 300 St. Louisans to understand what needs exist when it comes to youth behavioral health. Learn more about our process.