Researcher Daniel Cox acknowledges that "not all" teens react the same way to social media and that not all social media use seems to be a problem. Email (Required)Heavy Social Media Users Are in the MinorityBanning teenagers from social media is often predicated on the idea that these platforms are universally bad for young people. Class Confounds Things Even MorePotentially pre-existing mental health problems aren't the only snag in the "social media causes negative outcomes" narrative. There's another—perhaps even bigger—confounding factor at play here: "a class divide in social media use," as Cox describes it. Teen girls from more educated families are more optimistic all around, and they also use social media less—presenting a strong possibility that class is a moderating factor here, in addition to or instead of social media use.