By Zohar Rotem
If you spend any time with teens and young adults, you’ll notice one thing: their phones and the online worlds in which they live are an inextricable part of their lives.
This is concerning as a growing body of research links heavy social media use with rising rates of anxiety and depression among young people. Yet for teens who identify with niche or minority groups, such as the Jewish community, digital platforms can also serve as vital gateways to connection.
In my role as a researcher for Rosov Consulting, I have come to firmly believe that if the Jewish community is serious about engaging the next generation, leaders and parents must recognize that connection can no longer be nurtured only in synagogues, schools or camps.
It must also be fostered online.
We need to strike a balance between shielding teens from the hazards of a phone-based adolescence while embracing the very real rewards of finding their tribe in a broader digital community.
A dialogue about the risks and rewards about teen phone use must first begin with an honest assessment of its risks. A 2022 Pew Research Center study found that nearly all American teens have access to internet-connected devices, and almost half report being online “almost constantly.”
Common wisdom and a growing body of scientific evidence suggest that teen phone addiction is harming their wellbeing, causing rising rates of anxiety and depression. The severity of these concerns is such that it prompted the U.S. Surgeon General to issue a special advisory about the potential harms of social media, leading the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to declare a national youth mental health crisis.
This crisis did not skip the Jewish community. A recent Rosov Consulting study found 44% of Jewish teens (as compared to 46% of the general population) report the same near-constant presence online.
But there is another side to this story. Increasingly, social media is the place where teens find community.
Even the Surgeon General advisory noted various potential positive aspects of social media, including social connection and creative outlets.
A Mayo Clinic report from 2024 noted the important role that social media play in allowing teens and tweens to “create online identities, chat with others and build social networks.” A 2023 study of teens’ use of TikTok to discuss mental health similarly highlighted how TikTok “allow[s] users to intervene and discuss often serious topics” in ways that “create networks of community and attract conversation where others can share their experiences and practices.”
This is especially true of marginalized teens, with one study finding that “seven out of ten adolescent girls of color report encountering positive or identity-affirming content related to race across social media platforms.”
I witnessed social media’s community-building and identity-affirming benefits firsthand in a study of Lost Tribe, an online hub where Jewish teens meet peers and share content. Out of more than 1,000 Jewish teens and young adults who participated in the study, 40% said they were looking for more community, and 30% sought Jewish content. Two-thirds indicated that Lost Tribe helped them feel more connected to other Jews and made them feel like they have a community where they belong.
And nearly 60% agreed that Lost Tribe made them feel a stronger sense of connection to Israel. Perhaps most surprisingly, more than a third of respondents reported making “really good friends” through the platform, underscoring how online communities can cultivate authentic belonging.
For teens today, social media can help them connect with their friends and peers. A vivid example of how such connections are formed was shared by a 15-year-old Israeli teen from the Tel Aviv area who was interviewed for Rosov’s study. He found Lost Tribe on TikTok, followed Lost Tribe on both TikTok and Instagram, and joined the Discord and Minecraft servers.
He told us about an American boy he met through Lost Tribe whom he considers a friend: “He was the first person I met on Minecraft. … He is about my age. He lives in Houston. He is Reform. When we first talked, he showed me around the [Discord] server, and I asked where he was from. … I played with him a lot, I introduced him to my classmates. … I helped him with [Hebrew] homework …”
Stories like this drive home how real virtual friendships can be. For Jewish teens, the dangers of social media for youth mental health are undeniable. But so are the potential benefits. I
If the Jewish community is serious about engaging young Jewish people where they are, then online and digital engagement should be taken seriously. In all likelihood, it’s the Jewish community’s next frontier.
Zohar Rotem, PhD, is a director at Rosov Consulting, an international consultancy that provides high-quality research, evaluation and insights to Jewish organizations He can be reached at info@RosovConsulting.com.
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