Limiting children's use of the internet will not protect them against the ills of social media, researchers say.
UK teenagers have some of the highest rates of internet use in the developed world - something that has a strong link to lower levels of well-being.
The Education Policy Institute study said restricting usage can prevent children gaining the digital skills and emotional resilience to keep them safe.
The government said it was vital to help children deal with online risks.
The report, written by the EPI's Director of Mental Health, Emily Frith, said restricting a child's use of the internet reduces the chances of children meeting difficulties online, but does not give them the skills to deal with problems they may run into at a later date.
"Restriction was also linked to the young person having a lower level of digital skills," it said.
"The research highlighted in this report indicates that restricting a young person's access to the internet could inhibit the development of the skills needed to handle online risk."
An Office of National Statistics study quoted in the research suggests that more than half of 10 to 15-year-olds (56%) spend three hours or more on social media on a normal school day.
However, a third of UK children of the same age spent no time on social media during a school day, according to the study from 2013-14.
The report said concerns were frequently raised about the potential effect on young people spending a great deal of time online.
And according to research from Ofcom in 2016, quoted in the study, it led to nearly eight in 10 (78%) young people (aged 16 to 24) being told off for doing this.
Seven out of 10 said they had missed out on sleep because of their online habits and 60% said they had neglected school work as a result.
The EPI research highlighted that those spending large amounts of time on social networking sites were more likely to have symptoms of mental ill health, and that excessive internet use has been linked with depression.
