By Jennifer Jahn
NKyTribune staff writer
For today’s teenagers, social media is often as routine as homework or texting friends. Smartphones function as communication tools, entertainment hubs, and digital gathering spaces where friendships unfold in real time.
But mental health experts increasingly warn that the same platforms that connect teens can also expose them to harmful content and unhealthy comparisons. For some families, the consequences can be severe.
What is your child scrolling? (NKyTribune file photo)
One local mother says that is exactly what happened to her daughter.
A harmless beginning
Cece Neltner first began using Instagram as a way to stay connected with her mother, Candace.
After her parents divorced, Cece split time between households. A cell phone was an easy way to stay connected to mother and they could easily message through Instagram.
“It was just a way for her to say, ‘Hi Mom, how are you today?’ during the day,” Candace recalled. “I thought it was perfectly fine.”
At the time, social media did not seem dangerous. In fact, the school even used Instagram to communicate with parents.
But gradually, Candace began noticing subtle changes.
The first warning signs
Near the end of sixth grade, the girl began sending recipes to her mother constantly.
“It was nonstop,” she said. “Recipes for sweets, recipes for different foods. It was like food was all she was thinking about.”
Fighting the influence of social media. (NKyTribune file)
Eventually the recipes shifted from healthy meals to diet-focused foods. What the family did not realize was that social media algorithms were learning from the searches and pushing increasingly extreme content to the teenager.
“It went from recipes to exercise videos, then to calorie restriction, and eventually to images that glorified extreme thinness,” she said.
Candace later discovered disturbing images circulating within online communities promoting eating disorders.
“They were black-and-white photos highlighting bones, thigh gaps, and protruding collarbones,” she said. “It got very dark.”
A four-year battle
Neltner spent the next several years battling a severe eating disorder.
“We fought this demon in our home for four years,” Candace said. “And the whole time I didn’t realize it was being fed online.”
By the time Neltner received emergency treatment, her condition had become life-threatening.
“She had developed bradycardia and was in heart failure,” Candace said. “Many kids in that situation don’t get help in time.”
Neltner eventually stabilized during her senior year of high school, but the ordeal left lasting emotional impacts on the family.
You are too important to turn over to an algorithm (NKyTribune file photo)
Growing concerns nationwide
Stories like this are increasingly part of a broader national conversation about social media and adolescent mental health.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, from 2015 to 2021, teens ages 13 to 18 years old spend an average of more than eight hours per day using screens outside of schoolwork. Screen time includes television, playing video games, and using social media.
Research from the U.S. Surgeon General has also warned that excessive social media use can contribute to anxiety, depression, body image concerns, and sleep disruption in teenagers.
Founding attorney of Social Media Victims Law Center, Matthew Bergman, states that it is “through addictive algorithms and the promotion of harmful content, Facebook and Instagram lure young users into staying on their platforms for unhealthy lengths of time and continually checking their social media throughout the day.”
Those algorithms can quickly funnel teens toward increasingly extreme content once they interact with certain topics. It is due to the social media addiction and the decline of mental health that the SMVLC has filed hundreds of lawsuits against Meta, representing over a thousand victims.
Turning to the courts
After her daughter’s recovery began, the mother and daughter joined a lawsuit targeting social media companies, arguing that platforms knowingly expose young users to harmful content.
The legal fight involves protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally shields internet platforms from liability for user-generated content.
Parents must be involved (NKyTribune file photo)
Candace said, “We wanted to speak out so families understand what can happen.”
Parenting in the digital age
Parents often feel overwhelmed by the pace of technology and the influence of social media on their children’s lives. The influence is not just the amount of screen time, but also takes into account the content that is encountered.
Candace believes the most effective tool parents have is involvement.
“Sit next to your kids and watch what they scroll through,” she said.
Open conversations, digital literacy, and healthy boundaries can also help teenagers understand the potential risks of online environments.
A message for teens
Today, Neltner is pursuing a college degree in art therapy while continuing her recovery. Candace, who has taken a step back from being a vocal advocate, hopes their story encourages teens to pay attention to how social media affects their well-being.
“Pay attention to how you feel before and after you scroll,” she said. “Your health and your future are too important to hand over to an algorithm.”