Until very recently, the rapid adoption of smartphones and social media outpaced our understanding of the impact the device and the apps on it have on us. Researchers like Jonathan Haidt have now, in my view, convincingly shown that social media has largely detrimental impacts on youth. From sleep deprivation to social isolation to attention fragmentation, social media use for youth and high school students is harmful. The academic literature suggests it is the cause of the mental health crisis we face today in our country. Even when I ask athletes in the gym their opinion, they all immediately identify social media use as a leading cause of mental health issues and quite clearly delineate the reasons behind this (i.e. social comparisons that are unrealistic and a platform where bullying is easier to perpetrate). 

Social Media Prevents Training Gains and Reduces Game Performance

What many do not know yet is that social media use inhibits training gains and game performance. One study with professional soccer players analyzed three groups – one played video games, another scrolled on social media, and the third group was a control group that did neither. The groups that played video games and scrolled on social media had worse passing decision-making in a filmed soccer match analysis. 

Another study with volleyball players focused on training gains over a four week period. One group scrolled on social media while the control group watched documentaries about the Olympic games. Volleyball matches were filmed and analyzed along with surveys the athletes filled out after training. Interestingly, the social media group did not improve decision-making on the attack or with passing. The control group, however, did improve on these metrics! Further, the control group perceived the training intensity or load to be lower than the social media group. Social media contributes to cognitive fatigue and scrolling on it before practice is essentially reducing an athlete’s mental ability to handle the demands of training. This study also looked at vertical jump height and there was no observable difference, suggesting that the impact is mental more so than physical. However, if this study were longer, the repeated use of social media prior to training would likely, in my view, reduce physical gains. Athletes training with suboptimal intent (or mental focus) will eventually demonstrate worse training gains as training gains are compounded over time.

Individual Sports with Objective Scoring Show Social Media Harmful

Volleyball and soccer are both team sports and decision-making analysis, while impressive in these studies, seems more subjective than a sport like swimming in which the scores are objective times. A study with elite swimmers demonstrated that those who scrolled on social media before training did not improve on endurance testing, 100 meter and  400 meter races, and inhibitory control (via a Stroop test) but those in the control group did! 

Many other studies are showing the same – late night social media use is correlated with lower point production in NBA athletes and with worse performance outcomes for college swim and track and field athletes. In these cases, the reduction in sleep quality is a major factor in worse performance outcomes.

 Social Media Is Different Than TV

The nature of social media itself is also the problem. Watching TV is a largely passive activity. The entertainment does not really interact with you. With social media, nearly every second requires a decision – do I continue to scroll, like, comment, switch apps, or search for something? Imagine watching television for 30 minutes, but the entire time you only watch a show for five seconds, then change the channel. That would be exhausting!

Serious athletes should understand that social media use has a myriad of negative impacts on their health – physically and mentally – and that using it prior to training and competition has performance implications. Youth and high school sports coaches, organizations, and leaders should lead the charge to get phones out of team settings and educate their players on the negative impact phone use is having on their performance. 

At Fortis, we have a social media and video games seminar for parents and athletes that reviews this and other research, helping to educate and inspire youth and high school players to put the phone down and become better athletes! Reach out if you’d like to learn more and schedule a seminar with your high school, team, or association.