Here’s the stat that should reframe this whole debate: Pew found 81 percent of teens say social media makes them feel more connected to friends. That’s not nothing. For kids who are isolated, rural, disabled, or struggling to fit in locally, those platforms are often the only place they find their people. The other side is right that outdoor time matters, but “less social media, more outside” treats screens as the villain and grass as the cure. It’s not that simple. The real goal should be healthy balance and better online spaces, not a blunt mandate that ignores why kids log on in the first place.