US Surgeon General Warns of Social Media Impact on Kids and Teens’ Mental Health

thewrap.com:

release of an advisory on social media and youth mental health. “The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health.”The advisory notes that social media use by young people is “nearly universal,” with up to 95% of kids between 13 and 17 years old reporting that they’re on at least one platform.

More than a third say they use social media “almost constantly.” “Despite this widespread use among children and adolescents, robust independent safety analyses on the impact of social media on youth have not yet been conducted,” the advisory said, pointing to the increasing concerns about the platforms’ impact.“More research is needed to fully understand the impact of social media; however, the current body of evidence indicates that while social media may have benefits for some children and adolescents, there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents,” the advisory stated. “At this time, we do not yet have enough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.”The advisory said urgent action is needed to “create safe and healthy digital environments that minimize harm and safeguard children’s and adolescents’ mental health and well-being during critical stages of development.”It makes clear that there are many factors that influence the impact social media can have, from the amount of time spent online to the type of content they consume, and acknowledges that there are potential benefits, including being able to connect with others who share identities,.