Meta’s $17 billion multistate legal settlement will mandate changes to Instagram and Facebook to reduce social media addiction and protect teenage mental health. While these changes and widespread school cellphone bans aim to address the youth mental health crisis, evidence suggests these measures may have limited impact.

A National Bureau of Economic Research study on schools using magnetic pouches to lock away cellphones found that short-term effects on discipline and well-being were negative, including a 16% increase in suspensions. After three years, the study found no evidence that phone bans significantly improved mental health.

The mental health crisis among U.S. children predates cellphones and social media. Historical data indicates:

• In 1970, the Joint Commission on the Mental Health of Children reported an estimated 12% of U.S. children had serious mental health conditions.
• By 1990, suicide was the third-leading cause of death among American adolescents.
• In 2000, Surgeon General David Satcher warned that 11% of American children were affected by serious mental health conditions.

Currently, at least 13% of school-age U.S. children have a diagnosed mental health condition. Effective interventions identified in the report include:

• Providing licensed mental health clinicians in schools. A study in Minneapolis showed a 15% decline in suicide attempts following the addition of counselors.
• Sending community mental health center counselors into schools. In Colorado, this has reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
• Increasing prevention through social programs like Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
• Early childhood education programs like Head Start to detect emerging symptoms.
• Reducing traumatic experiences such as evictions and exposure to gun violence.

Funding for school-based services often relies on Medicaid, which faces potential cuts next year due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Additionally, concerns exist regarding the quality of care, including children receiving psychiatric medications without thorough evaluations or medications not approved by the FDA for pediatric use.