Ask anyone what's behind the downward spiral of young people's mental health today, and social media is likely to be on their list of causes.
While it is true that young people are increasingly struggling with mental health issues at the same time that social media use is skyrocketing, the research available today simply has not found one of them to be the driving force behind the other; in summary, correlation does not equal causation.
That's one of the findings of a committee charged by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to investigate Social networks and their impact on the health and well-being of children.. The committee's roughly 250-page report also made recommendations for government policy and future research on the issue.
The relationship between social media and mental health is nuanced and different for everyone, says Stephanie M. Reich, a professor of education at the School of Education at the University of California, Irving. Current research is limited to estimates of the number of children and adolescents who use various social media platforms and for how long.
The amount of time kids spend in front of a screen is a common concern, Reich explains, but he argues it's not necessarily a bad thing considering some kids might reach for a device to find social support (as many LGBTQ+ teens do) or to avoid conflicts. happening in the house.
“I'm not saying that screen time isn't important, but it's not nuanced enough to really understand the mechanisms of change, benefit or harm,” Reich says. “And so what we found by synthesizing all the research that exists is that there aren't really good indicators of what children do, with whom, and why.”
Although the United States House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would prohibit popular social media platform TikTok, although out of concern over China's access to data, claims as technology-platforms-twitter-facebook-instagram-x-threads-online-children-violators-patrick-allmond-money” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>Oklahoma and Florida are considering laws that would tighten age restrictions for social media users.
But the committee's report says keeping children away from social media will not solve any problems.
“The unique vulnerability of young people to toxic content or misinformation is clear, but in the committee's assessment, broad restrictions on their online access are neither practical nor desirable,” the committee wrote. “Therefore, it is necessary to create an online environment that protects young people and social media consumers who are empowered to protect themselves.”
Media Literacy Education
Many students start using social media when they are in elementary school, Reich says, before they are typically introduced to school education on digital media literacy.
While social media platforms theoretically limit users from creating an account until age 13, children can avoid this by simply lying about the year of their birthday during the registration process.
The 13-year threshold is not based on developmental research, Reich's area of expertise, but was set by lawmakers who created the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
“In fact, you could argue that 13 is probably one of the most vulnerable ages to release all restrictions or supervision,” he says. “As these spaces have developed, it's not like you're online or offline. It's just your life. It is part of the context of childhood and adolescence now.”
Whether it's called media literacy, digital citizenship or something else, the type of education that helps students safely navigate life online varies from school district to school district, according to the committee report, and depends on State boards of education ensure that the curriculum is consistent. .
“Our report doesn't say exactly what should be included in the content, but it is clear that there needs to be a focus on this area,” Reich says, “and it needs to have more of a prevention and capacity-building component rather than just an after-the-fact intervention.” ”.
Not only that, any policy directive must be accompanied by funding and support, the committee urges. Teachers delivering digital literacy education also need more training to keep up with the ever-changing technology (such as major advances that emerged while the report was being completed) that is part of their students' lives.
GPT-4, from Google ai-tool-formerly-bard-everything-you-need-to-know/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>ai Gemini and new applications they made deepfakes Easier to Create came out before the committee's report was released in December 2023.
“In less than a year, technology has already changed a lot in ways that are very important for children to understand. So our push wasn't about 'be careful with social media and mental health,'” Reich says. “It was really about having an education system that helps kids understand these online spaces, how they work. By understanding algorithms, you can understand more about push content, persuasive design, or social media “sticking.”
Digital design for children
When children use social media platforms, there are a number of things that can affect their experiences, according to the committee report. Algorithms designed to keep users on the app can fill their feeds with sensational content, publicly count users' likes and posts, or turn the experience into a game of “badges.” The more time users spend on a platform, the more money a social media company can make from ads.
This apparent competition for attention can be particularly difficult for teenage users to reject.
“Greater sensitivity to rewards may make it harder for teens to disconnect from social media, while a desire for independence may make digital spaces especially attractive,” the report committee writes, “allowing teens to space to make connections and signal your identity without the need for the same parental scrutiny that your in-person interactions might generate.”
The committee's report outlines how social media companies can adopt “age-appropriate design,” which includes collecting only necessary data from young users. It also protects them from “persuasive design” features intended to keep users online longer or entice them to spend money.
While the experience of social media will vary by child (an elated teen may interact with their online world differently than a depressed teen, Reich notes), researchers simply don't have access to platform data that allows them to delve deeper. . delve into how it affects young people.
But companies maintain tight control over their data, making it difficult for outsiders to judge whether they are making a meaningful effort to protect children and teens from what the report calls “habit-forming” features on a platform.
“Allowing researchers and civil society watchdogs to access social media data and review their algorithms would allow for a better understanding of how social media platforms influence young people for better or worse,” according to the report.
The report recommends that the International Organization for Standardization organize a working group of experts to standardize how apps are developed based on users' ages, “with an emphasis on protecting their privacy.” The same group could also find a way for social media companies to securely share data that researchers could use to find more concrete links between social media use and health.
“There are times where people have tried to provide their own data to researchers and companies have filed lawsuits saying it's a violation of the terms of use,” Reich says. “But researchers have to look beyond the curtain if we really want to understand what's going on. It is an interesting space because you have a product (available) for the population, and especially for minors, who do not have much supervision, monitoring or understanding.”
