Beyond Social Media: Arts Education as an Antidote to the Anxious Generation
A Watershed Moment
In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban social media use by youth under 16. Why? For the health and safety of approximately five million kids whose childhoods were being used by tech companies as a grand social experiment. Globally, instead of building critical skills during crucial developmental stages, children have been provided with platforms that can cause addiction, stunt emotional growth and physical abilities, and in some cases, lead to premature death. At Minds Beyond Measure, we believe the antidote is prioritizing a real-world based lifestyle for youth with focused engagement through art-centered curricula that addresses the perceived benefits they seek in social media: connection, community, learning, and inspiration.
The Growing Crisis: What Research Tells Us About Social Media and Youth Mental Health
Mark Zuckerberg created FaceMash in 2003 to rate women on his college campus, even comparing them with animals. That troubling origin story launched a social media empire including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Those foundations endure today with sexist content from influencers like Andrew Tate and a feedback loop of objectification and comparison. Social media was designed primarily by privileged young white men to exploit vulnerabilities in human psychology, becoming an invasive weed freeloading our headspace and profiting from our screen time.
The original age limit for accessing social media (13) was set by the 1998 US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with developmental stages or harmful content. Youth work on these skills during critical growth periods: trust and attachment in infancy, autonomy and confidence in toddlerhood, initiative and cooperation in preschool, competence and social skills in middle childhood, and identity formation and emotional regulation in adolescence. Social media interferes with this critical development by delaying motor and language skills in early childhood, replacing genuine skill-building with artificial achievement in middle childhood, and hijacking identity formation with external validation during adolescence—a sensitive period when the brain is most vulnerable.
According to Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, the surge in youth anxiety and depression started around 2010 with smartphones providing continuous social media access. While social media addiction isn't in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) yet, research shows problematic use includes depression, anxiety, body image issues, and sleep disruption. WHO data shows problematic social media use among adolescents increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022—a 5% jump in just four years. Even the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory states they cannot conclude social media is "sufficiently safe" for children.
The Adolescent Brain's Unique Vulnerability
What researchers like Haidt are finding out is that social media rewires users' brains. Where, exactly, are the young social media users going to have their brains rewired? For ages 5–7, common platforms include TikTok, YouTube, Roblox, and Minecraft. Ages 8–12 use TikTok, YouTube, Roblox, and WhatsApp. Ages 13–17 prefer TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Knowing that there are now links between social media and mental health issues, imagine what's happening to teen brains consuming an average of 4.8 hours of social media daily, according to a 2023 Gallup poll!
The teen years are particularly problematic for social media use because of asynchronous brain development—different regions maturing at different rates. During adolescence (ages 10-24), there's a dramatic mismatch: the limbic system (emotions, reward center, fear responses) develops early while the prefrontal cortex (impulse control, planning, judgment, emotional regulation) doesn't fully mature until the mid-20s.
The U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 Advisory states: "Adolescence is a vulnerable period of brain development...when identities and sense of self-worth are forming, brain development is especially susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions, and peer comparison." Social media delivers constant, unpredictable social feedback precisely when the adolescent brain's reward system is most reactive but executive control is least developed. Research from UNC-Chapel Hill found that adolescents who checked social media frequently (15+ times daily) showed distinct changes in brain regions processing social rewards and punishments, becoming "hypersensitive to feedback from their peers."
This vulnerability explains Sean Parker's confession about Facebook's design. The former Facebook president told Axios in 2017: "How do we consume as much of your time...? Give you a little dopamine hit...It's a social-validation feedback loop...exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology."
Policy Responses: A Global Reckoning
Australia's social media ban has taken effect, and the world is watching. Other countries considering similar measures include the US, UK, Norway, and France. In the U.S., Florida has signed a ban for some platforms for younger children, while California and New York focus on addictive feeds, though they face First Amendment challenges.
As any parent knows, bans alone aren't the answer. They don't address underlying desires kids seek in social media (connection, self-expression, community) by providing healthy alternatives. That's where the arts come in.
Minds Beyond Measure's Real World Findings
In preliminary findings from a 2026 Minds Beyond Measure exploratory survey of youth ages 13–24, we found 80% of respondents started social media use at age 13. While Instagram and YouTube were most common, 60% encountered inappropriate content or unwelcome interactions from strangers. And, the majority of youth spent approximately 2–4 hours on social media during weekdays and weekends. For youth clocking in 4 hour social media weekdays, it's the equivalent of a part-time job.
Most participants recognized social media's harms: shortened attention span, time away from real-world activities, distraction from feelings, harmful content, and anxiety. The top benefits they reported were building connection and community, learning, and inspiration. When asked about real-world creative activities they participated in that provided similar benefits, the top answers were music, baking, and real-world games. One respondent reported, "Playing with other musicians is almost like having a musical conversation."
Implementing the Arts as a Solution
"These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability," states the Surgeon General. The good news? Thanks to neuroscience, we know brains can be rewired. While we await science-based health restrictions and mandatory policies around social media use, we can start the rewiring process by bringing kids back to physical, play-based childhoods by leveraging the arts (a research backed alternative).
According to Haidt, the main issue is "overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world." While limiting digital exposure is important, schools and families can help youth by providing creative outlets that allow them the freedom to explore, question, and create.
Gertrude Stein said, "Anything one does every day is important and imposing." What if time spent on social media was instead used to create? In Imagination: A Manifesto, Ruha Benjamin discusses "radical imagination" as a powerful tool for understanding and shaping ourselves and creating culture. We're at a critical time as we watch the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world create virtual spaces scripted by a one-sided past of colonialism, sexism, ableism, white supremacy, and nationalism. Creativity and the arts are crucial for youth—especially in underserved communities—to develop the critical thinking and social and emotional skills necessary to create what Benjamin describes as an imaginary: "a desirable and feasible future."
The Big Swap: What Kids Want from Social Media vs. What They Can Find in Arts Education
As we limit harmful digital exposure, we must simultaneously expand access to arts education. The goal isn't just reducing screen time—it's giving young people richer, more meaningful ways to express themselves, connect with others, and develop resilience. The arts aren't a luxury; they're a necessity for mental health in a digital age.
These are examples of benefits/rewards youth are looking to social media for, and how they can be found while accessing the arts:
1. Connection & Community Social Media: Connecting with like-minded individuals, interest-based communities, maintaining friendships across distances. Arts Alternative: Theater troupes, orchestras, dance companies, and art collectives create genuine bonds through face-to-face interaction. Regular rehearsals build sustained real-world connections that provide stronger peer support than online interactions. Mental health benefit: Addresses isolation while developing vital social skills.
2. Self-Expression & Identity Exploration Social Media: Showcasing identity, trying different personas, getting feedback. Arts Alternative: Acting allows trying on identities in safe contexts; visual arts and music provide outlets for expressing emotions; creative work allows identity experimentation without digital permanence or algorithmic judgment. Mental health benefit: Safe emotional expression during vulnerable developmental periods without social comparison traps.
3. Creative Outlet & Skill Development Social Media: Creating content, learning through tutorials, sharing work. Arts Alternative: Direct skill-building develops genuine competence through expert instruction and structured feedback, creating tangible work with intrinsic value beyond likes. Mental health benefit: Mastering skills triggers natural dopamine release without artificial manipulation, while improved academic performance extends benefits beyond the arts.
4. Support & Reduced Isolation Social Media: Support groups, connecting with others facing similar challenges. Arts Alternative: Arts communities welcome marginalized individuals, creating inclusive spaces where difference is celebrated. The creative process itself can be therapeutic, with activities like choir singing and art-making reducing mental distress and anxiety. Mental health benefit: Real-world belonging without the drama, FOMO, and constant comparison that overwhelm 45% of teens.
5. Confidence & Self-Esteem Social Media: Positive feedback through likes/comments, recognition for content. Arts Alternative: Mastery builds genuine competence; performance provides validation based on achievement, not appearance; overcoming creative challenges builds resilience. Mental health benefit: Authentic achievement creates stable self-worth, unlike the fragile self-esteem built on likes that makes 46% of adolescents feel worse about their body image.
6. Cultural Awareness & Empathy Social Media: Exposure to diverse perspectives, global issues, different cultures. Arts Alternative: Theater, music, and visual arts from different cultures provide deep engagement with diverse perspectives; playing characters develops empathy; collaborative arts require understanding others' viewpoints in real time. Mental health benefit: Genuine empathy and cultural understanding build social-emotional competence.
Conclusion
The evidence is clear: social media exploits adolescent brain development at its most vulnerable stage, hijacking the reward system while regulatory controls are still under construction. But we're not powerless. By expanding access to arts education, we can provide young people with the connection, creativity, community, and skill-building they're seeking—without the mental health costs. This isn't about demonizing technology; it's about protecting childhood and giving our youth the tools to become empowered creators of culture rather than passive consumers of algorithmically-curated content. The arts offer a research-backed pathway forward, one that builds resilience, authentic self-worth, and the real-world relationships essential for healthy development. At Minds Beyond Measure, we're committed to making this vision a reality.
If you want to learn more about the history of drumming and are curious about how Minds Beyond Measure provides music as an antidote to social media, check out the article "International Drum Month" by Lauren Perl or visit this page.
Sources
Australia Social Media Ban:
● UNICEF Australia: Social Media Ban Explainer
● eSafety Commissioner: Social Media Age Restrictions
● NPR: Social Media Ban for Children Under 16 Starts in Australia
FaceMash/Facebook Origins:
● The Harvard Crimson: Hot or Not? Website Briefly Judges Looks (2003)
● Wikipedia: History of Facebook
Sean Parker & Addictive Design:
● Axios: Sean Parker - Facebook Was Designed to Exploit Human 'Vulnerability'
● CBS News: Sean Parker - Facebook Takes Advantage of 'Vulnerability in Human Psychology'
Social Media Usage Statistics:
● Gallup: Teens Spend Average of 4.8 Hours on Social Media Per Day (2023)
Mental Health Research:
● WHO Europe: Teens, Screens and Mental Health (2024)
● U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory: Social Media and Youth Mental Health (2023)
Brain Development Research:
● PMC: Brain Development During Adolescence - Neuroscientific Insights
● Nature Communications: Media Use and Brain Development During Adolescence
Books:
● Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press, 2024.
● Benjamin, Ruha. Imagination: A Manifesto. W.W. Norton & Company, 2024.
If you want to learn more about the history of drumming and are curious about how Minds Beyond Measure provides music as an antidote to social media, check out the article “International Drum Month” by Lauren Perl or visit this page.
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