Social Media Could Harm Youth Mental Health, US Surgeon General Warns

Social media can profoundly hurt the psychological well being of youth, significantly adolescent women, the U.S. Surgeon General warned in an advisory on Tuesday, and he referred to as for safeguards from tech corporations for youngsters who’re at essential levels of mind improvement.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy mentioned that whereas social media presents some advantages, there are “ample indicators that social media may additionally hurt kids’s well-being.”

“We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address,” Murthy mentioned.

Social media use could trigger and perpetuate physique picture points, have an effect on consuming behaviors and sleep high quality, and result in social comparability and low shallowness, particularly amongst adolescent women, the advisory mentioned, citing responses from a survey performed amongst adolescents.

Adolescents who spend greater than three hours per day on social media face double the chance of experiencing poor psychological well being outcomes, corresponding to signs of melancholy and nervousness, based on the advisory.

Most adolescents say social media helps them really feel extra accepted, extra supported throughout powerful instances, extra related to their mates, and extra inventive, the advisory additionally mentioned.

It mentioned policymakers ought to strengthen security requirements in ways in which improve these advantages for youngsters of all ages, whereas noting that inappropriate and dangerous content material continues to be simply and broadly accessible to kids.

Tech corporations ought to adhere to age limits to manage entry to social media platforms, and be clear about knowledge relating to the affect of their merchandise on kids, the advisory urges.

Algorithms and platform design ought to search to maximise the potential advantages of social media as a substitute of options designed to make customers spend extra time on them, it mentioned.

“The first precept of healthcare is to do no hurt – that’s the identical customary we have to begin holding social media platforms to,” said Saul Levin, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association.

The report includes suggestions for what parents, tech companies, as well as children and adolescents, can do to avoid dangerous pitfalls and make the social media experience more positive. They include creation of a family media plan, encouraging of in-person friendships, talking to children about how they spend their time online, and encouraging them to seek help should they need it.

It included a reminder of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline “if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis.”

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated news company feed – Reuters)