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Jun 17, 2024 · According to a research study of American teens ages 12-15, those who used social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms.
- kathy.katella-cofrancesco@yale.edu
Feb 20, 2024 · Recent studies suggest a causal link between teen social media use and reduced well-being. Now, some researchers are looking into possible mechanisms.
Apr 1, 2024 · Strong parental relationships and monitoring significantly cut the risk of mental health problems among teen social media users, even among those with significant screen time stats.
Apr 25, 2023 · A striking decline in teen mental health has coincided with the rise of smartphones and social media. Is social media causing the mental health challenges? Finally, research can answer that...
- Michaeleen Doucleff
- Overview
- What can be done?
- How old should kids be before using social media?
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.
The report, released Tuesday, calls attention to growing concerns about the effects of social media use on children and adolescent's mental health. The advisory urges policymakers and the companies that make the social media platforms to share with parents the burden of managing children's and adolescents’ social media use.
Murthy calls youth mental health “the defining public health issue of our time,” urging policymakers to help ensure strong safety standards to help protect adolescents and teens from exposure to harmful content and excessive use.
Up to 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 say they use a social media platform, according to the report. About a third say they're scrolling, posting or otherwise engaged with social media "almost constantly."
"At this point, we do not have enough evidence to say with confidence that social media is sufficiently safe for our kids, Murthy said in an interview. "We have to now take action to make sure that we are protecting our kids."
The report pulls together research that links social media use and poor mental health in adolescents, such as a 2019 study that found teens who spent more than three hours a day on social media "faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety."
The surgeon general's report outlines recommendations for both technology companies and lawmakers.
"Policymakers need to step up and help ensure that we have strong safety standards, to help protect our kids from exposure to harmful content, and to also protect them from excessive use," Murthy said. This includes enforcing age minimums.
Companies are advised to create better tools to protect teenagers, and loosen up on features that entice kids to stay online longer.
It's parents who are on the front lines now in trying to help teens navigate the online world. The report encourages caregivers to create "tech-free" zones in the home, and to talk with kids about how social media use makes them feel.
Most tech companies require users to be at least 13 years old. But nearly 40% of kids between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media, the report said.
Murthy said he believes even 13 is too young to be on social media but said there wasn't enough data to suggest which age would be appropriate.
Twenge suggested that the age minimum should be set at 16.
"Let's get some regulations in place now to help kids who are not yet on social media," Twenge said. "Maybe we can save the next generation."
Jan 4, 2022 · Predicted probabilities of mental health outcomes by problematic social media use across gender and grade. Figure 1 shows that the absolute probability of high psychological symptoms and emotional problems was higher in girls than in boys, across grades.
Sep 1, 2023 · As youth mental health continues to suffer, parents, teachers, and legislators are sounding the alarm on social media. But fear and misinformation often go hand in hand. APA’s recommendations aim to add science-backed balance to the discussion.
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