What are the social & mental impacts of pressure to be online 24/7?

published on Feb 23, 20256 min read

Teens are feeling the pressure to be online 24/7 and it’s taking a toll on their physical and mental health.

From instant messaging, scrolling through social media apps to video calls and virtual meetings, the internet has changed the way we communicate forever. Being ‘online’ has become an integral part of our lives and so too has the peer and social pressure to be available online 24/7 or risk FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

So, what can be done to tackle smartphone use and the social and peer pressure to be online?

It’s a question which was central to the Better Phone Project Session by HMD and included Emma Lembke, co-founder of the LOG OFF Movement. Emma’s impressive creds and expertise saw her testify before the US State Judiciary Committee last year bringing awareness of the dangers of social media for young people. In the Better Phone Project session, she was also joined by Dr Becky Foljambe, an NHS GP and founder of Health Professionals for Safer Screens and Joe Ryrie, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood.

Social media apps have created a world in which it is all too easy to compare your regular life to the picture-perfect moments posted online. Social media has become a boasting platform for moments, events, and even happiness.

Sharing her lived experience as a Gen Z exposed to social media apps and smartphone use, Emma said: “So I got social media and my first device at the age of 12. I got Instagram and worked my way up through the different apps.”

“I felt as though my mental health was really suffering. I was comparing myself constantly. I was connected 24/7. I was scrolling mindlessly for five to six hours every single day on my device, not really knowing what to do as a young person…and what was worse is I felt completely alone and helpless…and I was sucked into my device just to be there alone experiencing these negative effects.”

Emma is not alone, with Dr Becky revealing the scenario she describes is one she sees regularly during her daily surgery: “With regards to social media [apps] being the cause [of mental health issues], well, I'm highly suspicious it is, there's lots of evidence now pointing towards the fact that it is. We know that the majority of our children who are presenting initially to the mental health services provided by the National Health Service, it is because of reasons of anxiety or crisis.”

“The extent of the anxiety in the young now is astonishing. I've just seen it increase and increase in my daily practice.”

— Dr Becky Foljambe

The tough and sturdy grip of the algorithm and the content displayed on posts pushed through on social media feeds can have a harmful impact on young minds, Emma shared.

She said: “As a young girl and as someone who grew up on social media as a young woman, it was very, very difficult specifically looking at the amount of eating disorder content that was pushed at me and the dieting content that was pushed at me. And a very good friend of mine had a very similar experience to me where they were struggling with their own eating decisions growing up. And they were just bombarded with hundreds and hundreds of videos of pictures of stick thin models and dieting content.”

Could there be a link between this content on social media apps and the rise in girls presenting with eating disorders?

Dr Becky believes so: “We're seeing a dramatic increase in young girls in particular, in that middle dangerous age of 11 to 16 presenting with eating disorders. We've seen a 47% increase in children needing contact with the health service for eating disorders. And I don't think that comes as any surprise to those of us who know the extent of time these children are viewing these images online.”

As a parent, what can you do?

Since co-launching Smartphone Free Childhood in February this year, Joe revealed the group now has 150,000 parents all wanting advice and guidance.

A recent HMD Global survey of 10,000 parents which found that over 50% of parents said their child’s mobile phone use had caused arguments and more than 30% said their child’s smartphone obsession had made them cry. ¹

Joe said: “So 15 years ago, smartphones didn't even exist, let alone did children have them, and now smartphones and the impact on children dominates the parental worry list.

“As a society, we've sort of sleepwalked into this situation where it's become normal for children to carry these supercomputers in their pockets, often with unrestricted access to the internet in them. And it has become almost impossible for parents to act independently and deny their child the opportunity to go online, because you risk sort of ostracizing them from their friendship groups exactly at the point where you want to give them more freedom and responsibility.

“Once you give your child a smartphone, it kind of suddenly has more power and influence over their life than almost arguably their parents and their friends.”

The pressure to be online – final words from the experts

Emma: “Something that I hear echoed across my generation is this sense of hopelessness, the sense of fear, FOMO, if you're going to unplug (from social media).”

“The key is balance with technology. I largely focus on digital mindfulness; I always start off with an audit of my social media and my technology usage. When I first unplugged, the number one thing I did was I asked myself and reestablished why I go on social media and the positive things about it that pull me back.”

Dr Becky: “The entire family have to lean into the fact that we're all hooked on smartphones. So, it’s not isolating the child and the phone that is the problem. It’s generally more effective, I think, when the whole family gets in at tackling the issue and we all look at our use of smartphones.”

Joe: “We need as parents to act collectively and agree to delay handing a smartphone to a child. There is a critical age group between 11 and 14 when we should keep smartphones and these addictive algorithms out of our children's hands.”

Better tech for young minds with the Better Phone Project

Global discussions around wanting new tech for children and young people is why at HMD we believe it’s time for another option and launched the Better Phone Project.

If you’re interested in being involved in co-creating solutions that help us all achieve the right balance, check out the project here.

You can read more here to find out why at HMD we’re so passionate about working together to create tech that helps change for the better.

¹ Based on a study commissioned by HMD and conducted by Perspectus Global. 10,092 parents were interviewed, across 5 different countries, United Kingdom, the United States, India, Germany and Australia. The study was conducted in July 2024.