GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Wood) — People in the mental health community in western Michigan are reacting to new recommendations from the US Surgeon General’s Office regarding the impact of social media on young people.
In a public advisory released last week, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Morsi spoke out about what he called a significant risk of harming the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents when it comes to social media. .
He also suggested the government should set stricter standards for youth access to social media sites.
This comes after the Surgeon General also recently released a report on what he called the epidemic of loneliness in our country.
Bryna Thiemeyer, clinical manager at Wedgwood Christian Services, said humans should be social and social media has both good and bad sides.
“There is no doubt that there is a fair amount of good, including raising awareness, helping normalize mental health problems such as the loneliness epidemic, finding ways to find community and building community. These include allowing open access to methods, communities, etc. These are the products of social media, but the impact that social media has on all of us regarding this epidemic of loneliness is that social media is a well-equipped community. It’s like an unfiltered resource that children, teens and adolescents can freely access,” she said.
Thiemeyer said it’s important for parents to provide guidance and supervision over social media use. Parents are also advised to approach conversations with an open mind so that their children feel trusted, competent, and safe.
