New recommendations from the U.S. Surgeon General warn of urgent public health issues regarding social media use and youth mental health.
In new recommendations released Tuesday, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy discusses the mental health impacts on youth, including the types of content that are most harmful, social factors that can protect youth, and ways to protect youth. calls for further research to determine the extent of Social media can be beneficial.
“Until now, the burden of protecting youth has fallen primarily on children, youth, and their families,” Murthy writes. “The burden of mitigating the risk of harm from social media cannot be placed entirely on the shoulders of children and parents.”
In his recommendations, Murthy argued that a “lack of transparency” from technology companies creates “barriers to understanding the full scope and scale of social media’s impact on mental health and well-being.” ing.
He urges social media companies to prioritize safety and privacy in product design and ensure compliance with minimum age requirements.
Although most social media platforms require a minimum user age of 13 or older, Murthy believes that children are “too young” to be using social media, and believes that age is “too young for children to identify with their identity”. “It’s a time to develop self-awareness and self-awareness.”
Murthy says the age of 10 to 19 is an impressionable period when young people’s identities are being formed, making them susceptible to social pressure and the opinions of those around them.
The recommendations also outline how policymakers can achieve change in three ways. These include creating policies that restrict access to potentially harmful content, developing digital and media literacy curricula in schools, and increasing funding for related research.
In addition to the changes she recommends for policymakers and social media companies, Murthy also calls on parents to model responsible social media behavior.
He said parents should create a family media plan, establish technology-free zones and encourage children to foster in-person friendships.
The recommendations come just weeks after the American Psychological Association released comprehensive recommendations aimed at helping teens use social media safely.
Psychologists say that adolescent brain development begins around age 10 and continues into early adulthood. The APA warns that sites that use “like” buttons or artificial intelligence to encourage excessive scrolling “may be dangerous for brain development,” and says social media on these types of platforms can be controlled through phone settings. Recommends limiting media use.
Research shows that frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain, including areas needed for emotional learning, regulation, and impulse control.
Dr. Mitchell Prinstein, APA’s chief scientific officer, told ABC News that currently, the times in a child’s life when their brains are most developed are also the times when they are most exposed to social media.
“The period in which most children have access to social media is actually one of the most sensitive periods for neurological development in our lives,” he says.
Teenagers spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on social media, with many reporting spending more than seven hours a day on these platforms, according to recommendations from the Surgeon General on Tuesday.
The advisory states that time is a critical factor when assessing social media and mental health risks, and that teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media may be unknowingly at risk of poor mental health. The risk could double.
Dr. Colette Poole-Boykin, a child psychiatrist and assistant professor at Yale University, told ABC News that children may be underestimating the amount of time they report spending on social media, so the reality is that the data is He said it could be worse than shown.
“It’s hard to estimate how much time kids spend on social media,” she says. “When this happens, you almost always end up using your device too much without any restrictions.”
Poole-Boykin noted that cyberbullying can also be a problem for teens on social media, saying, “I’ve seen an increase in the risk of mood disorders and suicide from bullying and the sharing of intimate information on social media.” “We have treated multiple patients with concerns.”
75% of teenagers say social media sites are doing a fair or insufficient job of addressing issues of cyberbullying and online harassment, according to recommendations from the Surgeon General. .
While social media has some benefits, especially for minority youth who find community, identity-affirming content, and other social support online, experts say social media is It says there is not yet enough evidence to say it is safe.
Dr. Neha Chaudhary, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said teens benefited from working in “moderate groups.”
“There is power in making people feel less alone,” she said, adding that “moderate groups” are “people who come together to acknowledge each other, offer advice and support, especially when facing common challenges.” “It’s a place where we can share and encourage each other.” ”
Dr. Mariam Gomer and Dr. Amanda Kravitz are resident physicians and members of the ABC News Medical Unit.
ABC News’ Sonny Salzman and Katie Kindelan contributed to this report.