But experts say A leading psychologist To Defender of Free Speech — have repeatedly questioned the idea that time spent on social media apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat directly leads to poor mental health. They say the debate is nuanced and it’s too early to make sweeping statements about kids and social media.
Here’s what we know about kids and teens, social media apps, and mental health.
Why is it so hard to get a clear answer?
There is evidence There has been a surge in negative mental health symptoms among children and teens, beginning around the time of the 2007 global financial crisis and spiking during the early days of the pandemic, but research on the role of social media has produced conflicting conclusions.
Many studies have shown that social media use Declining happinessMany people have discovered OppositionOne problem is that terms like “social media use” and “mental health” Analysis of existing researchWhatever the reason, it’s difficult for researchers to find causal relationships between social media and mental health (i.e., A causes B) without strict controls for children’s behavior.
But health agencies continue to issue warnings: 2011 Statement The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Communications and Media has warned parents to be wary of “Facebook depression.” 2013 Survey He suggested such warnings were “premature.”
Get caught up in
Stories to keep you up to date
To answer the question, “How does social media affect children?”, researchers need more robust data.
In an opinion piece on Monday The New York TimesMursi also called on social media companies to share data and research on health effects so that they can be examined by independent experts. “The platforms claim they are making their products safer, but Americans need more than words – we need evidence,” he wrote.
Vulnerable children are more likely to struggle
Social media can contribute to anxiety and depression. It can also boost happiness and connection. According to a 2022 study, Analysis of 226 studies.
So is social media a hub for LGBTQ+ youth community or a rabbit hole of distorted information? The answer is likely both. A bigger factor may be teens’ existing vulnerabilities and what they’re actually doing on social media apps, says Mitchell Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association.
Some studies have shown that children and teens who are already struggling with mental or emotional health Probability is high I feel anxious and depressed when I get off social media, and it can be hard to tell if social media is causing my depression. 2018 Survey While there was no correlation between time spent on social media and depression, the study found that young women who suffered from depression tended to spend more time on apps.
It’s not clear why social media affects mental health
Social media makes some people feel bad. Some studiesBut scientists still don’t understand why.
David Yeager, a developmental psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, said possible causes include social comparison — comparing one’s life to someone else’s — and guilt from feeling lazy or unproductive after spending time scrolling. Of course, disappointment and guilt are old emotions, but social media can trigger them, Yeager said.
Social media is not the first new technology to raise concerns. Newspaper clippings An 1882 document has the author claiming that the telephone is “such a terrible and malevolent entity that it deserves public denunciation.” In the 1920s, people worried that radio would stop people from interacting with each other in person.
Rather than arguing about whether social media is good or bad, Jaeger said it’s more important to find ways to minimize the harm caused by its negative elements and maximize the benefits of its positive elements.
“Technology has changed, but human nature hasn’t,” he said. “What drives us, what drives us and what captures us remains the same.”
Social media companies are designing their products to keep us scrolling
Like every other business, social media companies exist to make a profit, which means creating experiences that keep users scrolling through apps and watching ads.
One of the ways they achieve this is by manipulating our attention and emotions: For example, The Washington Post reported that there was a time when Facebook’s algorithms weighted angry responses more highly than “likes” because anger tends to generate more engagement.
“Instead of scaring kids and parents with half-truths, we should be demanding policies that force companies to end harmful business practices like surveillance ads and sneaky design features,” said Evan Greer, director of the digital rights nonprofit Fight for the Future. Surgeon General Mursi called for similar measures in a Times essay.
Why some people overestimate (or underestimate) risks and fears
While most experts call for a cautious approach when discussing social media’s potential impacts on health, not all do. For example, social scientist Jonathan Haidt recently published a book called The Anxious Generation, which blames social media for the poor mental health of teenagers. In the book, Haidt writes: The book urges parents to block their children from using the apps until they reach high school, and to ban them from using smartphones altogether until they turn 16. Other researchers, including psychologist Candace Odgers of the University of California, Irvine, say the book misinterprets existing research and stokes moral panic.
“This book will sell a lot because Jonathan Haidt tells the terrifying story about child development that many parents are led to believe,” Odgers writes. Essay for NatureOn the other hand, some of Haidt’s readers welcomed what they felt was a direct acknowledgement of difficult issues.
Future research may tackle this controversial issue from new angles. For example, an article published last month in Nature magazine suggested that Recommended researchers will be considered How behavioral and cognitive changes during adolescence may interact with social media to put mental health at risk.
