Here’s something smart, rational parents who have the best interests of their children pretty much know already and did not need the US Surgeon General to tell them; social media can harm kids. Yeah, we agree with you, doc.
The 25-page advisory says there is insufficient evidence to determine whether social media is safe for children and adolescents, specifically regarding mental health. When the Surgeon General issues an advisory, as they have done in this case, the intent is to bring awareness to urgent public health issues and give guidance for how they should be addressed.
Here’s what Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNN. “For too long, we have placed the entire burden of managing social media on the shoulders of parents and kids, despite the fact that these platforms are designed by some of the most talented engineers and designers in the world to maximize the amount of time that our kids spend on them. So that is not a fair fight. It’s time for us to have the backs of parents and kids.”
The advisory noted that social media use amongst kids is “nearly universal.” For kids aged 13-17, 95% use social media, and here’s the scary part of the report; one-third of kids that age said they use social media “almost constantly.”
For kids aged 8 to 12, nearly 40% of kids responded that they use social media.
One of the studies in the advisory noted that their data indicated that kids aged 12 to 15 who spend over three hours a day on social media had twice the risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety as non-users. Murthy pointed out to CNN that the three most common things he hears from kids about social media include, “Number one, it makes them feel worse about themselves; number two, it makes them feel worse about their friendships; but number three, they can’t get off of it.”
The researchers hope the advisory spurs additional research and pushes tech companies to be transparent.
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