Current:Home > FinanceSocial media can put young people in danger, U.S. surgeon general warns-LoTradeCoin
Social media can put young people in danger, U.S. surgeon general warns
View Date:2024-12-24 10:48:15
Social media can present a real risk to the mental health of children and teenagers because of the ways their brains are affected by the amount of time they spend using it, the U.S. surgeon general warns in a new advisory released Tuesday.
"Teens who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, which is particularly concerning given that the average amount of time that kids use social media is 3 1/2 hours a day," the Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
According to the advisory, 95% of teenagers ages 13-17 say they use a social media app, and more than a third say they use it "almost constantly." The Social Media and Youth Mental Health advisory says social media can perpetuate "body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls."
Nearly 1 in 3 adolescents report using screens until midnight or later, the advisory says. And most are using social media during that time.
Do children and adolescents have adequate safeguards for social media? The data reveal that there isn't enough evidence yet to make a clear determination. "What we need to know is not only the full extent of impact," said Murthy, "but which kids are most impacted in terms of benefits and harms."
He called on tech companies, researchers, families and policymakers to do more to understand the vulnerabilities facing young people and figure out standards to help them stay safe and healthy.
"I call for specific action from technology companies, from policymakers, because we need safety standards for social media," Murthy said.
He joined Morning Edition to discuss the new advisory, what children are saying about social media, and what steps can be taken by the government to increase regulation.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
On the connection between social media and depression among children
Most kids tell me three things about social media. It makes them feel worse about themselves or worse about their friendships, but they can't get off it.
The bottom line is we do not have enough evidence to conclude that social media is, in fact, sufficiently safe for our kids.
And it's not even just the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. But we find that nearly half of adolescents are saying that social media makes them feel worse about their body image.
On evidence gaps in his advisory's research
What we need to know is not only the full extent of impact, but which kids are most impacted in terms of benefits and harms. We also need to understand more about the mechanisms through which social media confers potential harms.
On what needs to be done
I call for specific action from technology companies, from policymakers — because we need safety standards for social media the way we have for cars, for car seats, for toys, for medications, and for other products that kids use — [so] their parents have more assurance that these products are safe for their kids.
With safety standards in this case, with social media, you want to ensure that ... these standards call for measures that protect kids from exposure to harmful content, that protect them from harassment online, particularly from strangers.
What we need are standards ... and measures that reduce the likelihood kids will be exposed to features that will manipulate them to spend more time on these platforms at the expense of their health.
veryGood! (859)
Related
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- Flooding in Tanzania and Kenya kills hundreds as heavy rains continue in region
- Dead infant found at Florida university campus; police investigating
- Demonstrators breach barriers, clash at UCLA as campus protests multiply: Updates
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- How Columbia University’s complex history with the student protest movement echoes into today
- Rihanna Reveals How Her and A$AP Rocky’s Sons Bring New Purpose to Her Life
- Predators' Roman Josi leaves Game 4 with bloody ear, returns as Canucks rally for OT win
- Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
- Documentary focuses on man behind a cruelly bizarre 1990s Japanese reality show
Ranking
- Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
- First-ever psychological autopsy in a criminal case in Kansas used to determine mindset of fatal shooting victim
- A Florida sheriff says 10 people were wounded by gunfire during an argument at a party venue
- 3 U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones, worth about $30 million each, have crashed in or near Yemen since November
- Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
- Authorities name driver fatally shot by deputies in Memphis after he sped toward them
- Clayton MacRae: Global View of AI Technologies and the United States
- Jennifer Aniston Shares Rare Glimpse Into Her Private World
Recommendation
-
See Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Winning NFL Outing With Kids Zuma and Apollo
-
Clayton MacRae: Fed Rates Cut at least 3 more Times
-
Clayton MacRae: Raise of the Cryptocurrencies
-
State Department weighing new information from Israel in determining whether IDF unit violated U.S. law
-
Is the stock market open on Veterans Day? What to know ahead of the federal holiday
-
Kate Hudson reveals her relationship with estranged father Bill Hudson is 'warming up'
-
The Rolling Stones show no signs of slowing down as they begin their latest tour with Texas show
-
Thunder's Mark Daigneault wins NBA Coach of the Year after leading OKC to top seed in West