Social media has transformed how young people communicate, learn, form identities, and engage with the world. For Canadian youth, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are not merely entertainment but fundamental components of social life. This integration raises urgent questions about impacts on mental health, development, relationships, and wellbeing. The evidence is complex and contested—social media is neither purely harmful nor purely beneficial but shapes young lives in ways that depend on how it is used, by whom, and in what contexts.