Is social media helping or hurting youth mental health?

Name: Is social media helping or hurting youth mental health?
Start: 2026-05-13T18:00:00+10:00
End: 2026-05-13T19:00:00+10:00
Location: State of Grace

Schedule

Wed May 13 2026 at 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm

UTC+10:00

Location

State of Grace | Melbourne, VI

Explore how social media shapes youth wellbeing, from online risks to positive digital spaces and healthier, more balanced habits.
About this Event
Talk Description
Social media shapes almost every part of a young person’s life—from friendships and identity to news, creativity and self expression. But with rising concerns about anxiety, comparison culture and endless scrolling, many are asking: is social media supporting young people, or quietly wearing them down?

As the kids Social Media ban kicks in across Australia, this event dives into what the research actually tells us about social media’s impact on youth mental health: the good, the bad and everything in between. We’ll explore how persuasive design captures attention, why some online spaces fuel stress, and how positive digital communities, mental health apps and emerging technologies can meaningfully support wellbeing. Join Dr Shaminka Mangelsdorf and Dr Lee Valentine as they unpack how we can all build healthier digital habits, how platforms can be harnessed for good, and what a balanced, mentally healthy online world could look like for the next generation.
Bio
Dr Shaminka Mangelsdorf & Dr Lee Valentine
Dr Shaminka Mangelsdorf is a Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow, at Orygen Digital and the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on how digital interventions intersect with face-to-face mental health care and the drivers of their effectiveness. She works on the clinical support behind a particular digital mental health intervention for young people, called MOST, which is available throughout Australia to over 20,000 young people aged between 12 to 25 years. Shaminka also works in private practice, and, in her spare time, she enjoys playing guitar and getting the Wordle in 4 tries or less.

Dr Lee Valentine is a Research Fellow in Digital Youth Mental Health at Orygen Digital and the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. Their research focuses on how young people engage with digital mental health interventions in real-world settings. Using mixed-methods research, user experience approaches, and implementation science, Lee examines what drives meaningful engagement and how digital tools can be designed and implemented to better support the young people that use them. Outside of research, Lee can be found bird watching, reading horror novels, and dissecting reality tv drama in the group chat.