On Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an unusual public health advisory about the risks social media can pose to young people’s mental health and well-being. The report explains:
A Surgeon General’s recommendation is a public statement that calls the American public’s attention to an urgent public health problem and provides recommendations on how to address it. Recommendations are limited to serious public health challenges that require immediate national awareness and action.
What is your initial reaction to Dr. Murthy’s recommendations? Do you think social media use among young people is a “significant public health challenge” that requires “immediate national recognition and action”? Why or why not? Is it?
Matt Richter, Katherine Pearson, and Michael Levenson write about this recommendation in “Surgeon General warns that social media can harm children and adolescents.”
In a 19-page advisory, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said the impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents is not fully understood and that social media may be beneficial for some users. He pointed out that there is a possibility. Nevertheless, he wrote, “There are ample indications that social media can cause serious harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
This report includes practical recommendations to help families guide their children’s social media use. The report recommended that families avoid using devices at mealtimes and in-person gatherings to build social bonds and encourage conversation. They suggested creating a “family media plan” to set expectations for social media use, such as content boundaries and maintaining the privacy of personal information.
Dr. Murthy also called on technology companies to enforce minimum age restrictions and create child-friendly default settings with high safety and privacy standards. He called on governments to develop age-appropriate health and safety standards for technology platforms.
Dr. Murthy said in an interview Monday that adolescents are “not just little adults.” “They’re at different stages of development, and they’re at a critical stage in brain development.”
“Teenagers are rediscovering social media. They also resent efforts to take it away.” Troy Crosson, Olivia Bensimon, Wesley Parnell, and Michael D. Regan asked young New Yorkers about their reactions to the warning. Ta.
In Manhattan, a high school freshman said he’s trying to reduce scrolling on TikTok but wonders whether age restrictions on social media use will effectively stop tech-savvy teens. .
Another senior at Queen’s University lamented that social media is essential for socializing, but that it has turned from a fun activity to an obligation.
And outside a Brooklyn high school, one sophomore spoke of his disdain for the addictive nature of social media and the way it “manipulates our reward centers.” Still, he did not believe that legal restrictions were appropriate.
The teens’ reactions came hours after the US surgeon general warned on Tuesday that social media could pose a “significant risk” to young people’s mental health and well-being.
The warning adds new fuel to the national debate about the effects of social media use on children and adolescents and how policymakers, technology companies and families should intervene to limit it. Ta. The Biden administration announced Tuesday it would create a task force to study the impact and make recommendations.
One New York City teenager revealed a nuanced outlook on social media:
“I’m actually very upset,” said Jack Brown, 15, a sophomore at Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene. “I can rant all day long about why I hate social media and why I think it’s one of the big cancers of our generation.”
Still, he added, “I don’t think the government should put such restrictions on our own social lives.”
Students, please read one or both of the articles and tell us:
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Do you agree with Dr Murthy’s assessment that social media can pose mental health risks to young people? Should families, technology companies and governments do more to regulate young people’s use? Do you think this is an issue that deserves more attention and research? Why or why not?
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What is your relationship with social media? What positive or negative experiences have you had on social media? Overall, how do you feel about the presence of social media in your life?
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What rules and guidelines does your family have regarding technology? What do you think about them? Will the Surgeon General’s suggestions, such as not using devices during meals and creating a “family media plan”, work for your family?
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To what extent do you think the government should be involved in regulating young people’s use of social media? Montana’s governor recently signed a bill banning TikTok from operating in the state. In March, Utah became the first state to ban social media services from allowing users under 18 to have accounts without the explicit consent of a parent or guardian. Do you think such laws go too far or not enough? Why?
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To what extent do you think social media companies have a responsibility to make their platforms safe for young people? Some have introduced age restrictions or automatically made young people’s accounts private. Is that enough? Should they do more? If so, what?
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Although Dr. Murthy’s recommendations are not enforceable as law or policy, some past Surgeon General’s reports have been turning points in American life. For example, the 1964 Recommendation on the Harmful Effects of Cigarettes began a decades-long effort to change the perception of smoking in America from an attractive habit to one with deadly consequences. Do you think Dr. Murthy’s social media warnings could have a similar impact? Why or why not? What do you think is the best possible outcome of this report?
We invite comments from students aged 13 and older in the US and UK, and aged 16 and older elsewhere. All comments are moderated by Learning Network staff, but please note that if your comment is approved, it will be made public and may appear in print.
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