Causes.com
| 5.24.23
Social Media Poses Profound Risk for Kids, Surgeon General Says
Do you agree that social media harms children?
What's the story?
- The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released a report that implicates social media use results in poor adolescent mental health, saying it poses a "profound risk of harm."
- Murthy urged parents to limit social media access and called on the government and institutions to take more stringent measures.
- Similarly, last week, the American Psychological Association released its first-ever adolescent social media guidance, echoing Murthy's advisory.
What's the picture on teens and social media?
- A Pew Research survey found that 95% of teens have at least one social media app. One-third of teens self-reported spending too much time on social media, while more than one-third of respondents report using it "almost constantly."
- Earlier this year, a report by the CDC found that teen girls are "engulfed in violence and trauma," much of which can be attributed to social media use.
- In 2021, 16% of high school students were bullied online, with female students more likely to be attacked by male students. For LGBTQ+ students, 27% reported being bullied online.
- The advisory points to the sheer number of "extreme, inappropriate and harmful content" and cyberbullying on social media, along with its impact on impressionable young people still forming their identities.
- Experts highlight the increased rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide attempts reported in the younger cohorts as plausibly connected to social media use.
What does Murthy suggest?
Family level
- While Murthy conceded that social media can have positive effects and that the full impacts are still poorly understood, he said:
"There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents."
"[Adolescents] are not just smaller adults. They're in a different phase of development, and they're in a critical phase of brain development."
- The advisory contains recommendations for parents and caregivers for reducing children's social media use, including keeping mealtimes device-free to promote organic, thoughtful conversation. The report suggests creating a "family media plan" and having honest conversations about safety, privacy, and appropriate use.
- The report reiterates the importance of implementing no devices at bedtime and, ideally, no devices in the bedroom overnight.
Policy level
- Murthy urged tech companies to enforce minimum age limits, which lawmakers have been trying to push through in recent legislation.
- He called on the government to create health and safety standards for tech platforms and social media apps specifically designed for children and adolescents. He said:
"That's a lot to ask of parents, to take a new technology that's rapidly evolving and that fundamentally changes how kids perceive themselves. So we've got to do what we do in other areas where we have product safety issues, which is to set in place safety standards that parents can rely on, that are actually enforced."
- Montana has just banned TikTok, and Utah became the first state to limit social media access for users under 18 without explicit parental consent.
Do you agree with Murthy's report on the harms of social media?
—Emma Kansiz
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Social media might harm children. Guns will definitely kill them. Get your priorities in order, Republicans!
I highly doubt this is about '' harm to children''- as if we care in the U.S.
hunger harms children, yet republicans don't want to fund school lunches.
lack of medical care harms children, yet we do not have national healthcare like any other civilized nation.
homelessness harms children, but we don't have housing for all.
toxins in air and water harm children, but republicans continue to errode the E.P.A. ability to enforce law.
Guns have killed ALLOT of children, As of 25 May 2023, it is unclear how many children died from gun violence in the US in 2020. However, according to CDC data, 4,368 Americans under the age of 19 died from gun violence in 2020, a 29.5% jump from 2019.
but it social media we need to be worried about?!?
distraction...
Socia media does harm all of us but we need to call out those who push hate and disinformation which gets amplified.
I believe social media provides a high risk environment for everyone as it creates a false narrative that everyone else is happy, looks perfect or is living "their best lives". This cognitive distortion is particularly hard on teens and young adults.
The #1 killer of children is guns.
Social media use is up to parents, but tech companies need to make parental controls easily available to parents.
Absolutely. It's turned my 8 year old grandson into an a hole. He's addicted and completely unreasonable if he doesn't have a device in his hands. When he does, he's not present. At all.
This is another "double edged sword" statement. It is up to the parents and schools to limit a minor's activity on-line. The responsibility does not require government to get involved. Pornography, negative posts, as well as political lies, half truths and insinuations should be screened by the "social media" company. First rule is---"HARM TO NONE".
Probably. A lot harms adults, too; our disgraceful politics would likely be less disgraceful without our "anti-social media." Start by quitting and boycotting Twitter, the wellspring of trumpist evil and now the home of De Insanity.
All the negativity, and untruths impact us all.
Kids are harmed more by GUNS!
Parent's or guardians who do not monitor their kids place them in grave danger.
That keeping up with the joneses can't be good!! Especially when it's hard for teens to realize Social media is all fluff
Social Media doesn't make you happier. That was scientifically proven over a decade ago.
CAUSES TELLS ME, THEN ASKS: "Social Media Poses Profound Risk for Kids, Surgeon General Says. Do you agree that social media harms children?" ME: Absolutely. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate in no uncertain terms the harm addiction -- and it is an addiction -- to social media does to children. This isn't rocket science: At the very minimum, kids who spend somewhere between 5 and 13 hours a day (it's the average, depending on age and the study) in front of a screen are definitely not out exercising or engaging with school work or constructive activities, including face-to-face social interactions.
[I'm not sure whether a happy vote means that I agree that social media is a problem or that I'm happy that social media is a problem. So, I voted the middle...]
Kids and youth put way too much emphasis on social media, so yes, it is a real problem. They are not mature enough to blow off any perceived negative impact this stuff has on their lives. In many cases, they are not even physically present with people to establish trusting relationships that would endure through negative social media experiences. I'm not sure what the answer is, though, since prohibiting social media to minors is never going to happen...
Parents be parents.
Talk with your children about the dangers and limit their screen time on social media.
Parents need to see what their kids are doing, and take action where it needs to be done. The government should not be babysitting our children, especially when they can't take care of anything important.
Social media needs more control!
Yes indeed as we hear daily of kids hurt online
What does a smiley face or a frowny face mean in the context of this question? It makes no sense. The hype over social media affecting children is riduclous, reminds me strongly of a similar misplaced concern about videogames.
Let children be children. Provide some guardrails for parents to keep adult content and stalkers away, but let them be.
While social media can be used to help keep friends and family members connected, it also allows evil and wicked people to groom children into almost anything. It also has been used to place horrible ideas into the heads of children to do very dangerous and fatal "games" or "challenges"
I am surprised they only claimed this harms children. For years fringe groups have been able to use this to say hateful things, deny science and cancel anyone that does not agree for them.
just think of all of the fringe groups that would not have traction: white supremists, black supremists, trans racial, trans sexual, jihadists, blm and others who do not want to have a common culture or beliefs for America.
We also would not have had Donald Trump for president or people swatting people whom they disagree with. We also would not have every time a black person is shot by a white person sent throughout the world, yet silence when a black person kills another black person. Drive a racist narrative to the rest of the world
Maybe if it continues we will see sports like the NFL and NBA finally stop their transphobic discrimination of players. For preaching inclusiveness, there is not 1 trans man on any team. Can only be taken as hateful discrimination by a group of transphobic fans, companies and a government that allows this to occur