Commonwealth Prevention Alliance Launches Free Public Resource on Social Media and Youth Mental Health

A teenage girl lies in a dark bedroom, her face illuminated by the glow of her smartphone.

Late-night phone use is one of the most documented risk factors for adolescent sleep disruption and depression.

Four children sit together on a couch, each looking at their own phone, with illustrated chat bubbles floating above them.

Four young people sharing the same space, each absorbed in a separate screen.

A teenage boy sits alone on the floor of his bedroom, focused on his smartphone.

Young people spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on social media platforms designed to keep them scrolling.

New site connects prevention science to growing concern about social media and young people; offers practical resources for PA parents, teachers, and youth

Prevention science has always been about reducing risk and strengthening the conditions that help young people thrive. Platform design can play a meaningful role in shaping those conditions.”

— Jeff Hanley, Executive Director, Commonwealth Prevention Alliance

STATE COLLEGE, PA, UNITED STATES, April 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Commonwealth Prevention Alliance (CPA) today launched Prevention in the Age of AI, a free public resource site for Pennsylvania parents, teachers, young people, and legislators seeking evidence-based information on social media and youth mental health. The site is available at https://social-media-resources.paprevention.org.

The site draws on decades of prevention science research to explain how social media platform features affect young people’s mental health and development, and what parents, educators, and policymakers can do in response. Resources include downloadable guides for each audience, a plain-language glossary of key terms, a research and citations page that grounds every claim in peer-reviewed sources, and a tracker of developments in the growing body of litigation and legislation related to social media and youth harm.

The launch comes at a moment when the public conversation about social media companies and youth mental health is shifting from concern to accountability. National attention has turned to the design choices built into these platforms, and communities across Pennsylvania are asking what they can do about them. CPA's resource site offers practical answers grounded in decades of prevention research.

Prevention science uses a risk and protective factor framework, developed over several decades and supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to understand how environmental conditions shape outcomes for young people.

Social media platform features, including infinite scroll, algorithmic content recommendation, digital filters, and notification design, have been identified in peer-reviewed research as conditions that may increase exposure to documented risk factors for adolescent depression, anxiety, and disordered eating, while competing with protective factors such as family connection and self-regulation capacity.

The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health found that adolescents who use social media more than three hours per day face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. The average American teen spends 3.5 hours per day on social media.

“Prevention science has always been about reducing risk and strengthening the conditions that help young people thrive," said Jeff Hanley, Executive Director, Commonwealth Prevention Alliance. "Platform design can play a meaningful role in shaping those conditions. The question for Pennsylvania is whether we act on what the research already shows," he added.

Pennsylvania’s Senate Bill 1090, the Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitative Chatbots and Harmful AI Technology Act, passed the Pennsylvania Senate by a vote of 49 to 1 and is currently under consideration in the House Communications and Technology Committee. CPA is available to serve as a prevention science resource for legislators and the Shapiro administration as the state develops its policy response.

On May 6, 2026, CPA will host its Third Annual Youth Prevention Summit at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, where more than 150 young people from across the Commonwealth will participate in legislative meetings and a press conference. CPA’s Annual Conference, scheduled for June 10–11, 2026, in Harrisburg, will include a youth panel and other sessions related to these issues.

CPA is prepared to provide prevention science expertise to community organizations, state agencies, and Pennsylvania legislators seeking guidance on youth digital safety policy.

About the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance

The Commonwealth Prevention Alliance is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to substance use prevention, youth well-being, and community collaboration. CPA has been supporting prevention professionals, coalitions, and communities across Pennsylvania for 50 years. Late last year, CPA was selected as one of 208 recipients of the OpenAI People-First AI Fund, chosen from nearly 3,000 applicants.

For more information, visit www.paprevention.org.

Jeff Hanley
https://paprevention.org
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