“Doomscrolling & the Depressive Addiction of the Digital” or “Why We Deleted Our Student Ministry Instagram Account”
The term “social media” is commonand for the most part when used it is presumed everyone is speaking about the same items, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and so on. Social media became a thing in the mid-1990s when cell phones were shaped like bricks and years prior to Steve Jobs introducing the iDevices (iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.) It is commonly agreed that the short-lived Six Degrees profile uploading service that launched in 1997 began the era of social media. In just a few years, other platforms like Friendster drew millions of users. Weblogs (now called blogs) developed and sites like Blogger entered the arena. Before long Myspace was everywhere and eventually Facebook and others followed.[1]
While Facebook and Instagram (parent company Meta) are most popular, demographic shifts have pushed other apps such as TikTok and Snapchat to the forefront for younger users. There are many other social media apps available and being used by subgroups interested in various subjects.
The growth of the internet and the communication options available through the web and various programs and apps led many in church leadership and ministry marketing to develop tools, strategies, and ways to engage current church members and potential attendees. The debates on usage developed early and many remember the conversations among church leaders about permissibility of using such apps for ministry.
Digital presence of the local church is no longer debated. The church website is called the “front door” by many who have determined that prior to visiting a local church for the first time, many will peruse the website to determine if said church is complementarian or egalitarian, theologically liberal or conservative, biblically inerrant, theologically sound, and things such as meeting time, location, expected dress code, sermon themes, ministries for children and teenagers, and more. The church site becomes a great filter for the discerning believer.
Having a digital presence for the local church is rarely debated today. However, there is a trend of social media usage for churches and ministries that has recently moved up in the “let’s talk about this again” discussion.
Past Warnings
For years groups have shared the dangers of various apps as they relate to personal safety and the well-being of young people. For the most part, the argument has been that many apps are not healthy for young people entering adolescence.
I shared a graphic years ago that was posted by a police department in a neighboring state providing such warnings. While there were several likes on the post, I apparently hit a nerve in some. Numerous Facebook “friends” declared that I was a curmudgeon (can’t argue with that) and that I was simply short-sighted, negative, legalistic, and did not have an understanding of the digital landscape and simply wanted to erase other’s personal freedoms. Interesting take as I was and am a user of the internet, have a large digital footprint, have been and continue to be intrigued by the technological innovations and computer programs, and was posting on a social media site for parents to simply be aware of the dangers of some current apps and their usage.
Apparently, Shakespeare’s words in Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” ring true.
Guilty
The warnings from voices mostly ignored and pushed aside (and called curmudgeonly) suddenly are making headline. Meta and YouTube have been found guilty in the courts. A case brought by a now 20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M. accused social media companies of intentionally creating products as addictive. Citing the infinite scrolling (doomscrolling) and algorithmic recommendations, K.G.M. sued Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and Google (owner of YouTube), claiming they led to anxiety and depression.[2]
The landmark, bellwether case led to a verdict presented after only seven hours of deliberation. The jury decision rendered on March 24, 2026, found the online platforms knowingly misled consumers about the safety of its online platforms and thus endangered children.[3]
Attorneys for the corporations have already declared that appeals are underway, but the court of public opinion is now deliberating. And many are discussing the decision about social media malfeasance on the platforms in question.
Digital Tobacco
Attorneys for K.G.M. likened the intentional addiction baiting of the companies to that which large tobacco companies did years prior. The argument was just as Big Tobacco intentionally created products to be more addictive than in the past eventually harming many users, so too was Big Tech. Big Tobacco promoted products to young people (remember Joe Camel?) that could cause great physical harm within an individual’s body. Big Tech promoted products to young people that could cause great mental and emotional harm.
The argument for years was that the digital apps were simply tools and there was no orchestrated effort to create addictions. Apparently, that assertion was false. The New York Times reports that Joseph VanZandt, one of K.G.M’s attorneys saying, “This is the first time in history a jury has heard testimony by executives and seen internal documents that we believe prove these companies chose profits over children.”[4]
The conversations and debates regarding this case and others continue. The U.S. Supreme Court has been petitioned by The Tim Tebow Foundation to review a lawsuit against Twitter (now called X) for allegedly facilitating the distribution of child sex material.[5] This and other such cases will now fill the news feeds. While many platforms are scrambling to create solid age-verification systems and even teen-friendly versions, many are not satisfied. European Union regulators are investigating such and officials in Brussels have accused Snapchat of faulty age-verification processes.[6] This seems to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Discovery Algorithms
The data regarding the dopamine hits and the addictive focus of such apps and the reality of discovery algorithms shows correlations and potential causation. Simply put, a discovery algorithm is a computational method that automatically identifies patterns, structures, or rules with data, often used to create new knowledge. These are embedded within most social media platforms and work differently than traditional algorithms. These work backward, beginning with data to find rules rather than simply applying pre-defined rules to the data.[7]
Churches and Social Media
Doug Smith, Christian author, software developer, and Android-focused engineer with Covenant Eyes (software company focused on serving those battling online pornography addiction) has written much about the challenges with social media and churches. He and Christian technology blogger Brady Shearer have podcasted, responded to each other, and blogged about their differing takes on churches and technology. Shearer’s take on Smith’s premise can be viewed here. Smith’s response can be seen here.
While these two differ on the use of such apps for churches, they agree with Shearer’s points here, as do I:
Indiscriminate use of digital media will be harmful.
If you don’t make conscious decisions online, they will be made for you.
If you’re not paying for the product that’s because you are the product.[8]
That third point hits hard. Have you ever wondered how these billion-dollar social media companies make their money? That free app you’ve been using is not really free. You are the product and that data about you has been sold. This is true for the teenager, young adult, and senior adult. The dopamine hit is very real and no discriminator of age.
Should a church utilize social media?
There is usefulness in making announcements regarding events, special trips, even the sharing of obituaries and such with church members and friends. Outside of that, I believe the effective use is minimal.
Personally, I have utilized social media much in the past. My Twitter/X posts were numerous, mostly memes, updates regarding religion, and my favorite sports teams. My Instagram feed featured much of the same, but with additional photos of grandkids and family trips. Facebook was just a copy of Instagram. However, my usage of these apps were primarily time-wasters. Even using the reasoning that I was just keeping up with current events (which is legitimate but soon dissipates to updates of self-proclaimed influencers and others clamoring for likes) eventually does not hold water.
I made some choices regarding my social media intake and use recently. First, I discovered the “unfollow” button on Facebook and clicked that for just about everyone who “friended” me. Why? Simply because some friends post EVERYTHING and one look feeds the algorithm and suddenly I have lost hours I can never get back. I also noticed how some posts seemed to be one thing but ultimately were another. In most cases these were not intentional, mean-spirited, or sinful. They just seemed to be a form of self-therapy disguised as “I want to share…” Truth be told, that was how I used posts, blog articles, and many such shared stories for years…and sadly still do at times. I just don’t think this is healthy or holy.
Just a few weeks back I deleted every tweet I ever posted. I found a program that took care of that for me, and it took about a week. Felt a bit guilty regarding how many 140- or 280-character statements I posted that were intended to do something, but mostly just fed an echo chamber. As for Instagram, I have cleaned much of that off as well, especially pics of grandchildren because…well, there are some bad people out there using such for nefarious purposes.
Deleting Student Ministry Profiles
I thought about the Instagram I created a while back for our student ministry at church. Pragmatically, it makes sense. Teenagers are using apps. Thus, go online and create graphics and videos to share Bible verses, invite teenagers to church, etc. It sounds logical and it may work. However, most youth-focused reels and posts are…well…juvenile. I guess that’s the point.
I was conflicted knowing that these apps work against the health of teenagers and yet for the “cause of Christ” we were telling students to “like and share.”
Parents will need to monitor and make such decisions for their teenagers. The evidence is mounting that there is a link between heavy social media use and depression.[9] The numbers seem to indicate the highest impact among the youngest. Even parents who state “My child is not on social media” are often surprised to discover that a student at their school, in their homeschool co-op, or on their travel ball team has allowed their child to borrow their phone to create an identity in an app. It happens more than we would like.
Social media will not go away, but the wise should understand its use as a tool but also peek under the hood to discover the intentionality of the algorithms to create and continue usage. Is this simply a digital version of tobacco or vaping? Perhaps for some it is.
Acknowleding such does not make you a legalist or a curmudgeon. It just reveals you are growing in wisdom.
In the meantime, our church will keep its social media identities, though we have deleted the student ministry ones. Our use is simply as a digital bulletin board for updates. Some will say that we are underutilizing a tool. Perhaps, but if we believe the church of the living God needs more likes and follows online to survive we may just be trading a biblical ecclesiology for a current era pragmatic one. For those who may see the irony, this article will likely be shared on our church’s social media pages as well for those who have ears to hear.
I will also keep my personal identities active as well if for no other reason than to keep the profiles intact. As soon as I cancel, someone or some bot will grab it (proven when we changed our church’s Twitter/X account name years ago) and own it.
I am certain more conversations and more court cases will come. People, pastors, parents, and others are and will remain divided on the use of social media. I encourage each to prayerfully consider how to best use, if use at all, such apps. While many will make choices based on the emotional health of their children, the consideration of one’s own mental and emotional health should also be considered.
Be careful little eyes what you see…or scroll.
Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. (Proverbs 4:5 ESV)[10]
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[1] “The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin, and Where Could It Go Next?” Maryville University Online, 24 Apr. 2024, online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/.
[2] Kang, Cecilia, et al. Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case, The New York Times, 26 Mar. 2026, www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html.
[3] Barkley, Scott. “Facebook, Instagram Parent Company Ordered to Pay $375 Million for Endangering Children.” Baptist Press, 25 Mar. 2026, www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/facebook-instagram-parent-company-ordered-to-pay-375-million-for-endangering-children/.
[4] Kang, et.al. The New York Times.
[5] Grube, Christina. “Tim Tebow Foundation Files Brief in Sextortion Case against Twitter.” World News Global, 25 Mar. 2026, wng.org/sift/tim-tebow-foundation-files-brief-in-sextortion-case-against-twitter-1774473687.
[6] Satariano, Adam. Snapchat Investigated in Europe over Child Safety Policies - the New York Times, 26 Mar. 2026, www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/business/snapchat-europe-child-safety.html.
[7] Blazek, Paul J., et al. “Automated Discovery of Algorithms from Data.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 19 Feb. 2024, www.nature.com/articles/s43588-024-00593-9.
[8] Shearer, Brady. “ Christian Author Urges Churches Not To Use Instagram & TikTok.” Pro Church Tools, YouTube, 7 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrN7lT-oeMc&t=693s.
[9] Miller, Caroline. Does Social Media Use Cause Depression? - Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
[10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Pr 4:5.
