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U.S. Surgeon General Warns of Social Media Damage to Teen Mental Health

2023-05-23T14:50:06.091Z

Highlights: Vivek Murthy calls young people's mental health a "defining public health issue of our time" and urges politicians to ensure strong safety standards that help protect adolescents. Up to 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 claim to use some social media platform. About a third say they scroll, post or otherwise engage on social media "almost constantly," the report says. The most popular social media platforms among teens are TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, according to the Pew Research Center.


Vivek Murthy calls young people's mental health a "defining public health issue of our time" and urges politicians to ensure strong safety standards that help protect adolescents.


By Erika Edwards and Hallie Jackson - NBC News

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a longtime supporter of mental health awareness, has warned that social media use is one of the main factors contributing to depression, anxiety and other problems in the country's teens.

The report, released Tuesday, draws attention to growing concern about the effects of social media use on the mental health of children and adolescents. The report urges policymakers and the companies that create social media platforms to share with parents the burden of managing children's and adolescents' use of social media.

Murthy calls young people's mental health a "defining public health issue of our time" and urges policymakers to help ensure strong safety standards that help protect adolescents from exposure to harmful content and overuse.

[More than 20 school districts sue social networks for the addiction they generate in minors]

According to the report, up to 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 claim to use some social media platform. About a third say they scroll, post or otherwise engage on social media "almost constantly."

"Right now, we don't have enough evidence to say with confidence that social media is safe enough for our kids," Murthy said in an interview. Now we have to take action to make sure we are protecting our children."

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The report brings together research linking social media use and poor mental health in teens, such as a 2019 study that found teens who spent more than three hours a day on social media "faced twice the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety."

Starting last year, eighth- and tenth-graders who were surveyed said they spent even more time each day on these platforms — three hours and 30 minutes, on average.

Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, an organization that advocates for laws and policies to make the media more child-friendly, said the ad was "absolutely accurate" and "should be a clarion call to every parent in this country, to every policymaker, that we need to focus and dedicate resources to this effort."

[The proposed law to regulate children's access to social media is based on "common sense"]

The most popular social media platforms among teens are TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, according to the Pew Research Center.

The surgeon general's warning about social media comes as rates of depression, sadness and hopelessness among teens have skyrocketed over the past decade, especially among girls.

"Teen depression started to rise around 2012, a time that coincides with the popularity of smartphones," said Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of the book Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future. (Generations: The real differences between Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Boomers and Silents—and what they mean for America's future.)

Twenge also recalled that it was a time when clicking the like button on posts became commonplace, and algorithms began to become more sophisticated to keep people on social media for longer. It's clearly not a coincidence."

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The surgeon general's report also blamed social media for perpetuating eating disorders, body dysmorphia and low self-esteem. Some evidence also suggests a possible link between excessive social media use and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents.

[What Utah did with an unpublished law on "very destructive social media"]

According to Twenge, social media can affect mental health in a variety of ways. Both sleep and face-to-face social interaction are beneficial for mental health, she said, but if kids are online when they should be in bed or spending time with their friends, that's a problem.

Feeling left out and comparing yourself to others can also be harmful.

"Even if you know on an intellectual level that 200 selfies may have been taken to get the right one," Twenge said, "on an emotional level, that's not really processed."

What can be done?

The surgeon general's report outlines recommendations for both tech companies and lawmakers.

"Policymakers need to step up and help ensure we have strong safety standards, to help protect our children from exposure to harmful content, and also to protect them from overuse," Murthy said. This includes enforcing minimum age."

[This is how TikTok responds to the passage of the law banning the use of the app in Montana]

Companies are advised to create better tools to protect teens and to reduce features that entice children to stay online longer.

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Now it's parents who are on the front lines of helping teens surf the internet. The report encourages caregivers to create "tech-free" zones at home and talk to children about how social media use makes them feel.

"It's not fair that the responsibility lies solely with the parents. Why isn't the industry held accountable for creating the platforms and making the functions much more addictive?" said Steyer, of Common Sense Media. "There has to be a big national debate."

How old should children be before using social media?

Most tech companies require users to be at least 13 years old. But nearly 40% of children ages 8 to 12 use social media, according to the report.

Murthy believes that even 13 is too young an age to be on social media, but says there isn't enough data to suggest what age would be appropriate.

Twenge suggested that the minimum age should be set at 16.

"Let's now establish some rules to help kids who aren't on social media yet," Twenge said. "Maybe we can save the next generation."

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2023-05-23

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