Majority Of MN High Schoolers Use Screens After Midnight During The Week, Survey Shows

ST. PAUL, MN — Nearly every Minnesota high school student uses social media every day, and many say it is interfering with sleep, homework, and daily responsibilities, according to new data released Tuesday from the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey.

For the first time, the statewide survey asked students about social media and screen time.

About 90 percent of high schoolers reported daily social media use, and roughly four in ten 11th graders who use social media said they may have a problem with spending too much time on it.

More than half of high school students said they use technology between midnight and 5 a.m. at least once a week on a school night, and nearly one in five said they do so every school night.

While state officials noted the positive shifts in student mental health and school engagement this year, the technology findings stood out as a growing concern for educators and researchers.

Good news overall

The broader survey results show several encouraging reversals compared to 2022. Students across grade levels reported improvements in mental health indicators related to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

The share of 11th grade students considering suicide fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. Reports of feeling connected at school increased, and fewer students said they missed school due to anxiety, not feeling safe, or being bored or uninterested.

Students also reported healthier behaviors, including improved general health, higher fruit and vegetable consumption and lower rates of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use. High schoolers said they felt safer at school, and reports of cyberbullying and adverse childhood experiences declined.

The survey includes anonymous responses from more than 119,000 fifth, eighth, ninth and 11th grade students statewide. It is conducted every three years and has been running since 1989.

Communities and school districts use the results to guide local priorities and support funding applications. Some organizations have used past survey data to secure grants for mental health services, e-cigarette prevention and youth safety programs.

State officials said the new technology findings will help inform future discussions about student wellbeing, sleep and academic performance as social media and screen time continue to shape daily life for teens.