Have you ever been made self conscious by something you see on social media? If so, then you’re not alone. You’re part of a nearly universal issue that society today commonly experiences: how easily accessible phones make it to consume psychologically harmful social media content.
Although every generation is affected by this issue, phone usage has a strong hold on Gen Z. In a 2025 article by Pathum Rathnayake, an educational technologist and E-learning consultant, Gen Zers are referred to as “digital natives,” the first cohort who has spent their entire lives exposed to social media and smartphones in this digital landscape.
In fact, nearly 60 percent of all Gen Z uses Instagram and TikTok, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center statistic. The study suggests social media is used as a tool for coping with emotional stress, allowing the brain to expect instant gratification through phone use.
The justification for social media’s distinct use among Gen Z lies in a vicious loop of phone use distracting individuals from their emotions. Rathnayake states that social media is “training brains to expect quick rewards.”
A 2019 psychology paper found a correlation with self-esteem issues arising from phone usage. Researchers found that low self-esteem leads to comparison with social peers, furthering phone addiction. This creates the possibility of self esteem issues caused by phone use.
The publication suggests that this is because of the cognitive processes that underlie social comparison and its commonality in the world today.
It is clear that constant comparison on social media is worsening emotional stress among Gen Z. This, coupled with the already ever-stressful events in an unpredictable world, spells a distinct potential danger for Gen Z.
Stress about current global happenings is not a generational problem. This kind of concern has been a consistent factor in the lives of many people throughout history. The modern difference in Gen Z’s case lies in how easy it is for phone usage to regulate emotional stress, and the potential effects that access has, primarily with self-esteem issues.
Despite this, Gen Z itself is aware of the issue. Nearly half of a sample set of 1,006 Gen Z adults report that “they wish that…TikTok (47 percent), Snapchat (43 percent) and X (50 percent) were never invented,” according to the The Harris Poll.
Gen Z and psychologists alike are actively searching for solutions to this massively common issue. It is possible that one could be found through the political representation of Gen Z’s phone-related struggles.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist puts it this way: “Our children are going on a conveyor belt,” he tells in a 2024 interview “And a lot of them are getting shredded.”
A political solution could help the crisis of mental health among youth today, yet this remains unrealized in modern politics through a singular leader championing a cultural decrease in phone usage.
The next time you find yourself scrolling on social media, just know it’s deeper than just laziness or procrastination. Your brain has likely been trained to expect quick rewards from your phone as a distractor to strong emotions.
It’s possible that a cultural shift of phone usage may soon occur, but until then, take a break, go for a walk and get that pile of work managed so you can go about relaxing and enjoying your day.
