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Social Media, Sleep, and Anxiety in Teens and Tweens

Social Media, Sleep, and Anxiety in Teens and Tweens: Why Logging Off Is So Hard (and What Actually Helps)

If your teen or tween becomes tense, irritable, or emotionally reactive when you ask them to put down their device, you’re not alone. Many families seeking teen counselling describe screens as the centre of daily conflict, especially when sleep, anxiety, and school functioning begin to unravel.

For parents, it can feel confusing and frustrating: Why can’t they just log off?

The compassionate reality is this: social media is designed to be difficult to disengage from. This isn’t simply a matter of discipline or motivation. It’s about how the teenage brain learns habits, how stress relief works, and how adolescent life intensifies the need for connection, belonging, and validation.

At Rocky Mountain Psychological Services (RMPS), we help families move away from blame and toward understanding. When parents understand why screens feel so powerful, conversations can shift from power struggles to problem-solving, and that’s where meaningful change starts.

Why Social Media Feels “Impossible” to Stop: The Fast-Reward Loop

Social media platforms are built around powerful learning mechanisms that keep the brain engaged:

  • Quick rewards: likes, comments, streaks, new content
  • Unpredictability: sometimes a post gets attention, sometimes it doesn’t — so the brain keeps checking
  • Constant cues: notifications signal that something might be happening

This structure taps directly into the brain’s dopamine-based reward system. A growing body of neuroscience research shows that variable reinforcement (unpredictable rewards) is one of the strongest drivers of habit formation.

Neuroimaging research suggests that social media use activates reward-related brain pathways in ways that increase habitual checking behaviours, particularly in adolescents whose impulse control systems are still developing (Montag et al., 2019).

This matters because many teens aren’t simply “choosing” screens; their brains are being trained to seek fast relief from stress, boredom, or emotional discomfort. This is especially relevant during after-school and evening hours, when emotional load is highest.

Research also shows that frequent digital interruptions increase stress and emotional reactivity, while reducing notification exposure improves attention and well-being (Kushlev et al., 2016). In other words, the notification environment itself strongly shapes mood and behaviour.

Screens, Sleep, and Teens: What the Research Consistently Shows

Adolescence naturally brings a shift in circadian rhythms, teens feel alert later at night, while school start times rarely accommodate that shift. Phones then become the perfect late-night companion.

A large study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that nighttime social media use was associated with shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality, and increased internalizing symptoms such as low mood and anxiety in adolescents (Levenson et al., 2017).

Research consistently links teen screen time and sleep disruption through several pathways:

  • Pushing bedtime later
  • Increasing emotional and cognitive arousal
  • Blue light exposure delaying melatonin release

The practical takeaway for parents:

If your teen’s bedtime is creeping later and mornings are increasingly painful, the phone is often part of the mechanism, even when your teen genuinely intends to sleep.

At RMPS, we frequently see how sleep disruption quietly amplifies irritability, attention difficulties, emotional reactivity, and teen anxiety. Improving sleep often leads to meaningful improvements in mood and coping.

Social Media and Teen Anxiety: It’s Not Just About Time Spent

When families seek help for anxiety, a common question is: “How many hours is too many?”

Research suggests a more helpful question is: What is the pattern of use?

A systematic review of adolescent studies found that problematic or compulsive social media use, rather than total time spent online, is more consistently associated with anxiety, depression, and psychological distress (Keles et al., 2020).

Two teens can spend the same amount of time online and have very different outcomes depending on:

  • Why they’re using it
  • How emotionally reactive they feel afterward
  • Whether screens are replacing sleep, connection, or coping skills

This aligns closely with what we observe clinically at RMPS. Our assessments focus less on screen hours and more on function: what the screen is doing for the teen emotionally and physiologically.

Why ADHD Makes Disengaging from Screens Even Harder

For teens with ADHD, screens aren’t just entertainment. They are one of the fastest ways to access stimulation, novelty, and immediate feedback.

Differences in reward sensitivity and impulse regulation can make disengaging from screens feel disproportionately difficult for adolescents with ADHD (Montag et al., 2019). This helps explain why transitions off devices can trigger intense emotional reactions rather than mild frustration.

How RMPS Supports Calgary Teens and Families

If screens are affecting sleep, mood, attention, or family connection, you don’t have to manage this alone.

At Rocky Mountain Psychological Services, we use a bio-psycho-social approach, recognizing that screen use intersects with brain development, stress regulation, mental health, and family systems.

Support may include:

Whether concerns relate to anxiety, ADHD, sleep disruption, or problematic social media use, our goal is to help families move from daily battles to calmer, more effective strategies.

References

Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

Kushlev, K., Proulx, J. D., & Dunn, E. W. (2016). “Silence your phones”: Smartphone notifications increase inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1011–1020. https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858359

Levenson, J. C., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., & Primack, B. A. (2017). Social media use before bed and sleep disturbance among young adults in the United States. JAMA Pediatrics, 171(8), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1456

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MacKenzie Ebel

MacKenzie is a Psychometrist/Psychological Assistant at RMPS. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Princeton University, where she also played 4 years for the women’s ice hockey team. She recently completed her Masters in Counselling Psychology through City University of Seattle. MacKenzie has worked with children, youth, and their families in a number of settings, through coaching, as a behavioural aid, and counselling through her internship placement. She is excited to continue learning about assessment administration, neurofeedback, and play therapy practices at RMPS! Currently, she is part of the assessment and neurotherapy team, as she completes her final capstone assignment and intends to join our counselling team as a Registered Provisional Psychologist.

Tammy Thomson

Tammy is a graduate of the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) program at Yorkville University and is trained at the master’s level in art therapy as a professional art psychotherapist and member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and families in child development settings, children’s hospitals, and schools as an early childhood educator and elementary teacher. She completed a Bachelor of Applied Science specializing in Child Development Studies at the University of Guelph, Ontario and holds a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Tammy is a member of the Canadian Counsellor and Psychotherapy Association and College of Alberta Psychologists while pursuing her next goal of registration as a provisional psychologist. Tammy values a client-centered approach using play therapy and the expressive arts to support those who may find it difficult to articulate their thoughts and feelings with words. Children and families do not need any skill or prior art experience and the art studio is a safe place where children can gain a sense of independence, greater emotional regulation, and confidence through self-exploration. Expressive interventions in art therapy can treat behavioural issues, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, physical and developmental disabilities, and attachment difficulties. As a parent of three young children herself, Tammy understands the complexities of family life using compassion to help parents feel more confident in their role of raising a successful family.

Raquel Freitas

Raquel is an Office Administrator at RMPS. Back in Brazil, her home country, she graduated as a Psychologist and worked as a clinician for the past 5 years. Although she loved working with children and adults, she discovered a new passion: manage the administrative tasks that keep the business running. 

As someone who is passionate about learning new things and developing new skills, with the career transition also came the decision to live abroad and explore a new culture. To serve empathetically and connect with people is Raquel’s main personal and professional goal.

Emma Donnelly

Emma is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in her hometown at Brandon University, after which she moved to Calgary to earn her Master’s of Science in School and Applied Child Psychology at the University of Calgary. Emma has a passion for working with children and families and has experience doing so in a number of settings, including schools, homes, early intervention programs, and within the community. She specializes in assessment, including psychoeduational, social-emotional-behavioural, and autism assessment. Emma uses a client centred approach to counselling, supported by cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as play-based and attachment-based techniques. She believes in meeting clients where they are at and prides herself in working together with her clients to achieve their goals, improve their functioning, and enjoy their daily life.

Amanda Stoner

Amanda is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Amanda earned her doctoral degree in Psychology at Brock University in Ontario in 2017, with a specialization in developmental psychology. Amanda provides formal assessment services at RMPS. 

Since 2009, Amanda has received formal training and work experience in private practice settings in conducting psycho-educational assessments for students ranging from preschool through university. Amanda is skilled at test administration, interpretation of data, and report writing for various referral questions including ADHD, Learning Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety, Giftedness, and Intellectual Disabilities. Amanda enjoys working with people of all ages from diverse backgrounds, and she tries to make the testing environment feel relaxed and comfortable while maintaining integrity in testing protocol.

Denise Riewe

Denise has completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences through the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Counselling with Athabasca University. She is a Registered Provisional Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychological Association of Alberta. Denise has over 9 years of experience supporting children, youth and their families in both residential and community-based practices. Denise is experienced in working with high and at-risk youth, supporting children and their families with strength-based approaches. She practices from a client-center approach supported by Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Theraplay, and other play and art-based modalities.

John Pynn

John is a Registered Provisional Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. He completed his Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. He brings more than 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and families in a variety of settings. He brings a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere to sessions. John uses an integrated counselling approach including client-centred, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focussed therapy (SFT) to find the best-fit for clients. He has experience with a variety of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, anger, self-
esteem, relationships, parenting, ADHD, grief/loss, addictions, and trauma. This broad experience comes from working in schools, social service agencies, group-care, and clinical settings. He also draws from the practical experience of being a parent to two teenagers as well as a husband. Supporting and empowering clients with mental health concerns is something John genuinely enjoys. John also provides counselling for adults and holds a Gottman level 1 certification for couples therapy.

Zara Crasto

Zara is a Psychometrist/Psychological Assistant at RMPS. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Calgary and her Graduate Diploma in Psychological Assessment at Concordia University of Edmonton. 

Zara has spent over five years working alongside children, adolescents, and their families in a variety of settings. These include public and private schools, in-home support, residential programs, early-intervention programs, and non-profit organizations. Currently, Zara is part of the assessment and neurotherapy team. As a lifelong learner, Zara plans to go back to graduate school and eventually become a psychologist one day.

Kellie Lanktree

Kellie is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. She completed a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care with the University of Victoria and a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology through the University of Lethbridge. Kellie has over 10 years experience supporting children and youth with developmental disorders/delays and their families. Kellie has experience working in schools, clinical settings, and within homes to provide support and therapeutic interventions. Through her time at RMPS, Kellie has also gained experience in helping individuals affected by trauma, grief/loss, separations, emotional dysregulation, depression, and anxiety. Kellie practices through developmental, attachment-based and trauma-informed lenses, and draws from a variety of play-based approaches such as Synergetic Play Therapy, Child-centered play therapy, DIR/Floortime, art-based mediums, and mindfulness-based practices. Kellie also provides Neurofeedback therapy, and is working on receiving her certification through BCIA. Kellie believes in meeting children and their families where they are at and that there is no “one size fits all” for therapy.