More and more kids are being introduced to technology and mobile devices at earlier ages that many teenagers develop a screen addiction. As a result, children are experiencing a growing negative effect on their mental health.

As society moves further into the digital age, experts have found that parents are giving their children smartphones, tablets and other technology when they are much younger, and they are not equipped to handle the potential dangers of the internet, particularly social media.

Teens average more than 6.5 hours of screen time every day, according to the San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media. Today, 45% of teens say they are online on a near-constant basis, according to the Pew Research Center.

Anna Paty, a 19-year-old student at Arizona State University, is an active social media user. She believes that society has become addicted to screens and our social media.

"We use social media way too much, Paty said. "No matter the mood, we find a reason to turn to it. Tired? Bored? Sad? Social media. We look to the future through these devices, never aware of the present."

Gabriella Brouhard, a 14-year-old student at Horizon High School, said she has been more negatively impacted than positively.

"I think social media makes different aspects of the world seem closer, but also makes it seem more daunting, which causes me a lot of anxiety," Brouhard said.

One of the more prevalent issues faced by teens — particularly girls — who use social media is the focus on body issues.

According to the National Eating Disorder Collaboration, spending more time on social media platforms pushes greater body image concerns and disordered eating among young men and women.

Constance Almendares, a 19-year-old ASU student studying public relations and social media, said she believes people get stuck comparing themselves to "influencers" and brand ambassadors.

"You always compare yourself to other users and accounts," Almendares said. "I always look at other people's "likes" and comments that they get, and then I compare myself because I want to be able to get that much attention."

Another concern caused by social media is that adolescents focus on the numbers, whether it be how many likes, retweets they get or the number of comments on their posts. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has been working on removing the number of "likes" from users' posts. Since teenagers' mental health is affected by the interaction on their posts Instagram is working to make their site less superficial, according to a report by CNN.

"By being able to see all of the analytics of your social media, you're able to fully compare yourself to someone else, which puts a weight on your mental health. There are so many girls who compare their looks and appearances and look in the mirror and say, 'why can't I look like that?'" Almendares said.

Such a strong focus on the metrics can affect teens' mental health in a negative way.

"Social media is definitely an ego booster," Paty said. "Seeing the amount of likes, comments or followers or even unopened snaps I have, gives me a definite confidence boost in a way that I'm sure is unhealthy. A portion of my emotions are directly linked to how well my postings fare on each platform usually."

Paty said she seems to always be thinking about social media. She always looks for a good photo opportunity or going out with her friends because she can post about it.

"I'm addicted to the dopamine rush I get from likes and comments and new followers. How I feel about myself is tied to Instagram's numbers game," Paty said.

Social media does have some positive effects like easy access to news and maintaining connections, but researchers have found that it has more negative effects that make it seems much more dangerous.

"I think social media is horrible. There are a lot of great benefits to social media, especially for companies, and the fact that it connects us in so many ways, but instead we've used it in a way to become more anti-social in the real world," Almendares said.

Moving forward, Paty thinks that society needs to move away from their screens and focus more on reality.

"We need to start turning to other things when we want a different experience or mood changer," Paty said. "We need to face things more head-on instead of using social media to hide behind."