Public Health Secretary Vivek Murthy, a long-time advocate of mental health awareness, has warned that social media use is a major cause of depression, anxiety and other problems among the country’s teens. uttered.
A report published on Tuesday draws attention to growing concerns about the impact of social media use on the mental health of children and young people. The recommendations call on policy makers and companies developing social media platforms to share the burden of managing children and adolescents’ social media use with parents.
Murthy called youth mental health “the defining public health issue of our time,” and called for strong safety standards to protect adolescents and teens from exposure to and excessive use of harmful content. He appealed to policymakers to work together.
According to the report, up to 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 say they use social media platforms. About a third say they scroll or post on social media “almost all the time.”
“At this time, there is not enough evidence to say with confidence that social media is sufficiently safe for children. We must act now to ensure our children are protected,” Murthy said in an interview. he said.
The report summarizes research linking social media use to poorer mental health in adolescents, including that teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to experience symptoms including symptoms. They also included a 2019 study that found that “people face twice the risk of experiencing poor mental health.” About depression and anxiety. ”
As of last year, 8th and 10th grade students surveyed said they were spending more time on these platforms each day (3 hours and 30 minutes on average).
Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, an organization that advocates for laws and policies to make media more child-friendly, said the recommendations were “absolutely on point” and “a must-have for this country. This should be a clarion call to all parents and all policy makers.” , we believe we need to devote focus and resources to this effort. ”
According to the Pew Research Center, the most popular social media platforms among teens are TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
The Surgeon General’s warning on social media comes as rates of depression, sadness and hopelessness among teenagers have soared over the past decade, particularly among girls.
Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of “Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen” “This coincided with the spread of smartphones.” X, Boomer, Silent, and what they mean for America’s future. ”
This was also the time when “likes” on posts became commonplace, and algorithms started to become more sophisticated to keep people on social media longer. That’s clearly not a coincidence, says Twenge. he said.
The Surgeon General’s report also blamed social media for perpetuating eating disorders, body dysmorphia and low self-esteem. Some evidence suggests there may be a link between excessive social media use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in teens.
Mr Twenge said social media can affect mental health in many ways. Sleep and in-person social interaction are both beneficial for mental health, but it’s a problem if kids are online when they should be in bed or spending time with friends, she said. To tell.
Feeling excluded or comparing yourself to others can also have negative effects.
“Even though you know on an intellectual level that you may have taken 200 selfies to get the right one, on an emotional level, it hasn’t really been processed,” Twenge said. says.
What can you do?
The Surgeon General’s report outlines recommendations for both technology companies and lawmakers.
“Policymakers need to step up and help ensure strong safety standards to protect children from exposure to harmful content and also from overuse,” Murthy said. . This includes enforcing a minimum age.
Companies are encouraged to create better tools to protect young people and loosen features that encourage children to stay online longer.
Parents are now on the front lines helping teens navigate the online world. The report encourages caregivers to create “technology-free” zones in the home and talk to their children about how social media use feels.
“It’s really unfair to put the blame solely on parents. Why doesn’t the industry take responsibility for creating platforms and making features more addictive?” Common Sense Media’s Steyer said. He says this. “We need a large-scale national discussion.”
At what age should children use social media?
Most technology companies require users to be at least 13 years old. However, nearly 40% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media, the report said.
Murthy believes 13 is too young to use social media, but said there is not enough data to suggest which age is appropriate.
Mr Twenge suggested that the minimum age should be set at 16 years.
“Let’s put regulations in place now to help kids who aren’t using social media yet,” Twenge said. “Maybe we can save the next generation.”
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