It’s perhaps unsurprising that the rise of the internet and social media has affected teen mental health. But a new study has shed further light on the role exposure to technology plays in teens’ suicide risk.

As The 74 recently reported, a new study circulated through the National Bureau of Economic Research found a clear connection between broadband access and kids’ mental health. The result: when broadband access becomes more ubiquitous, mental health gets worse.

Breaking down the study results

According to Brandyn Churchill, an economist at American University and the lead author of the new study, researchers took advantage of the uneven pace of broadband expansion across the country. They tracked the deployment of broadband between 2009, when about 70 percent of the nation had broadband coverage, and 2019, when about 90 percent was covered.

The results were striking. As soon as broadband arrived, children spent more time online, and as they spent more time online, the rate of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts went up dramatically: 68 percent and 64 percent, respectively, among those who spent more than five hours online per day.

The study also found that with each increase in broadband access, adolescent girls were nine percent more likely to complain of cyberbullying, and 10 percent more likely to consider themselves overweight (despite no difference in actual weight). Boys, meanwhile, were about 10 percent more likely to say they weren’t getting enough sleep each night.

Why the connection between broadband and mental health?

The study authors posited that the switch from dial-up to broadband meant kids had access, not just to the internet generally, but to particular parts of the internet that are unwieldy at dial-up speeds. In particular, they were able to access photo- and video-based social media like Instagram, Snapchat, and (toward the end of the window covered by the study) TikTok.

Access to those more visual platforms may have contributed not only to teens spending more time online, but also to being bullied for their appearance and/or comparing themselves unfavorably to other people.

The transition to high-speed broadband changed the internet from a tool for information into an engine for constant social comparison. It’s no longer just about “being online”—it’s about the algorithmic delivery of content that reinforces a child’s deepest insecurities. When a teenager’s already vulnerable, this 24/7 exposure can accelerate a mental health crisis faster than traditional outpatient care can catch it.

The study results are part of a growing body of research that shows a disturbing connection between internet and social media usage and declining teen mental health. As the debate over phone usage in schools and in general continues, suicide risk needs to be a prominent part of the discussion.

What can be done to protect teens from suicide risk?

It would likely be impossible to push back the adoption of broadband internet, mobile phones, and other new technologies, and it’s not clear how helpful that would be even if it were possible. There are benefits to internet access, too; some teens, particularly in the LGBT community, have reported finding a sense of community and belonging online. However, the research is detailed that internet and social media use need to be limited, with healthy boundaries.

Furthermore, medical professionals who treat children and adolescents need to be aware of the role that internet access can play in mental health. That may mean recommending limits on internet access to parents and guardians. It also means incorporating questions about social media use into suicide screenings, following up, and recommending appropriate interventions to save lives.

In today’s world, a suicide risk assessment that doesn’t account for a teen’s digital environment is incomplete. If a doctor knows a child is struggling with depression or body dysmorphia but fails to ask about cyberbullying or “pro-harm” online communities, they’ve missed a critical intervention point. We argue that staying current with these digital risk factors isn’t optional; it’s a fundamental part of the standard of care for adolescent mental health.

If you have lost a loved one to suicide completion, we can fight for accountability

The more we learn about the causes and risk factors for suicide, the more robust efforts we can make to reduce the number of deaths by suicide. More research, however, is inadequate without action. When medical professionals fail to recognize the warning signs of suicide risk, lives can be lost. Suicide is preventable, and when it’s not prevented, there must be accountability.

Accountability starts with recognizing that suicide is a predictable and preventable outcome when risk factors are ignored. Whether it’s a school counselor who brushed off reports of cyberbullying or a psychiatrist who didn’t adjust a safety plan despite a teen’s escalating social media distress, these aren’t just “tragedies.” They’re often the result of systemic failures to protect a child from known, documented dangers.

The Law Offices of Skip Simpson proudly represents families who have lost loved ones to suicide throughout the United States. Give us a call or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation. There’s no pressure and no obligation, just answers about your rights and options.