The Anxious Generation: Understanding the Effects of Digital Media on Youth Mental Health

Mental health professionals across the country are seeing the effects of a new kind of stressor in adolescent patients: constant exposure to smartphones and social media. Dubbed “The Anxious Generation,” today’s youth are growing up in a world where likes, followers, and 24/7 connectivity have a profound impact on their emotional well-being.

As a medical billing company that works closely with behavioral health providers, we understand that clinical care is evolving to address new forms of anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction rooted in the digital world. And as you adapt your approach, it’s important that your billing practices evolve right alongside your care model.

Here’s a look at the growing concerns around digital media and youth mental health — and how to ensure the services you provide are properly supported and reimbursed.

The Impact of Digital Media on Mental Health

Recent studies, including those cited in The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, show clear correlations between increased screen time and rising rates of:

• Anxiety and depression

• Sleep disturbances

• Body image issues and eating disorders

• Cyberbullying and social isolation

• Shortened attention spans and increased impulsivity

Adolescents — particularly those who hit puberty around the time smartphones became widespread — are showing measurable declines in mental health and coping skills. Clinicians are now tasked with addressing not only the symptoms but also the digital environments contributing to them.

How Behavioral Health Providers Are Responding

Providers are integrating new tools and frameworks into adolescent care to address these tech-driven stressors:

• Screen-time assessments as part of the intake process

• Digital detox coaching and media literacy

• CBT and DBT modules tailored to social media stressors

• Group therapy for digital-related anxiety or cyberbullying

• Family education sessions to improve digital boundaries at home

This shift requires updated workflows, more intentional documentation, and an understanding of how to position these services within insurance frameworks.

Billing Considerations: Making Innovation Billable

You’re innovating clinically — now let’s make sure your billing is keeping pace.

1. Standard Codes Still Apply — With Smart Documentation

Therapeutic interventions addressing digital media anxiety can still fall under traditional CPT codes (like 90834 or 90847), but your progress notes need to clearly tie symptoms to functional impairments caused or worsened by digital environments.

Example: “Client exhibits anxiety symptoms tied to online peer interactions and excessive nighttime screen time. Session focused on emotion regulation and media boundary-setting.”

2. Family Involvement Is Billable and Valuable

Don’t underestimate the power — or the reimbursement potential — of family sessions (90846 or 90847). Educating caregivers on setting healthy boundaries and modeling behavior can be part of a covered treatment plan.

3. Group Therapy Opportunities

Running group sessions for teens focused on digital resilience, self-esteem, and coping skills? These can be coded using 90853, as long as they’re facilitated by a licensed clinician and follow a structured therapeutic curriculum.

4. Behavioral Health Integration (BHI)

If you’re working alongside pediatricians or primary care providers to address early signs of tech-related anxiety or depression, you may be able to use Collaborative Care or BHI codes (like 99484) — depending on your setup and payer.

5. Watch for Telehealth Compliance

Ironically, many of these sessions are delivered via the very screens you’re helping kids manage. Make sure you're using appropriate telehealth modifiers and place-of-service codes to ensure reimbursement.

Final Thoughts: Your Role in a Digital Era

Mental health providers are doing the vital work of helping young people navigate a world their brains weren’t built for. As you develop new strategies to support this generation, we’re here to ensure your billing systems are just as resilient and adaptive.

Proper documentation, timely reimbursement, and compliant billing models allow you to keep doing what you do best — helping adolescents become healthier, more balanced versions of themselves, both online and off.

Need help aligning your billing practices with your evolving clinical model? Contact us today for a free consultation tailored to your practice.