Illustrated by Lazarus Gamio/Axios
Experts increasingly warn The link between heavy social media use and mental health problems in children is a hot topic right now, sparking a massive lawsuit against the tech giant.
Important reasons: Seattle Public Schools’ recent lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, Snap, and others, accusing the social media giant of contributing to a youth mental health crisis, is one of hundreds of such lawsuits.
News promotion: Some scientists who study the impact of technology on children say the negatives far outweigh the positives.
- Gene Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and a leading expert on the subject, says, “There is a substantial association with depression, and the association tends to be stronger among girls.
- “The more time a teen, especially a teenage girl, spends on social media, the more likely she is to become depressed,” says the book, iGen, about how technology has shaped Gen Z. said Twenge, who explains in
- The same is true for self-harm, says Twenge. “The more time she spends on social media, the more likely she is to engage in self-harm — this link is also in boys, but to a lesser extent.”
Backstory: In a landmark ruling in October, British authorities found Meta-owned Instagram guilty of the suicide of 14-year-old Molly Russell after being exposed to self-harming content on the platform.
- During the investigation, Meta and Pinterest executives apologized for the content Molly had seen.
- Coroners have urged these and other businesses to take a variety of steps to prevent future deaths, including installing separate platforms for children and adults.
current situation: Twenge and Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University, maintain a 256-page Google doc of all published articles on social media and mental health.
- “Does social media use contribute to the increase in adolescent mood disorders (depression and anxiety) and related behaviors (particularly self-harm and suicide) that began around 2012/2013?” It’s meant to shed some light on the question.
- it paints TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. are addictive platforms that make people unhappy the more time they spend on them.
- “Most of the large studies show that heavy social media users are about twice as likely to be depressed as light users,” Twenge said.
- Some children may spend time on social media because they’re depressed in the first place, but most studies strive to control for such factors and variables.
Usage: Social media can harm children emotionally and psychologically in many ways.
- social comparison That’s when other people’s lives look more engaging online. They’ll be invited to cooler parties or look better in bikinis (whether or not the photo is retouched).
- displacement It happens when kids spend too much time online and aren’t getting enough sleep or playing with family and friends.
- algorithm May direct children to unhealthy content about eating disorders and more.
- porn According to the nonprofit Common Sense Media, they use social media to reach children at a young age.
Line spacing: Specialized legal and health care practices have emerged to help children (and their parents) who have been harmed by social media.
- Seattle’s Social Media Victims Law Center is filing a lawsuit on behalf of children injured or killed by viral stunts such as TikTok’s “Blackout Challenge” and by buying fentanyl pills on Snapchat. said founding attorney Matthew Bergman.
- “Most kids who encounter social media don’t have a negative impact on their mental health, but a very substantial percentage do,” Bergman tells Axios.
Yes, but: Benefits of social media may include “meaningfully connecting with friends and family, learning new skills, or accessing health care.” This is according to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in his 2021 report (which also highlights many of the adverse effects mentioned above).
- Social platforms are important for LGBTQ+ youth to “not feel alone, express themselves, find inspiration, and find support.”
To the point: Experts have suggested solutions that tech companies say they are looking to implement, such as stricter age checks, and more radical ones, such as turning off children’s access to social platforms at night. .
- But as anyone who’s ever been a teenager knows, it’s easy to circumvent the controls that adults try to impose on you.
Call or text if you or someone you know needs help right now 988 or chat with someone on 988lifeline.org. En Espanyol.
