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Jacob Russell is a recent communication master’s degree graduate from the University of Maine. This column reflects his views and expertise and does not speak on behalf of the university. He is a member of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications. Members’ columns appear in the BDN every other week.
Social media can both benefit and harm our mental health and social relationships. Online platforms can help you make friends and practice your hobbies, but they can also make you feel anxious or isolated.
Youth, whose brains develop with every (likely frequent) online interaction, should be protected from potential harm. As United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote in The New York Times last month and an advisory last year, we all have a role in making social media safer for children.
The benefits and harm you, and the young people in your life, may have experienced on social media have been studied in academic research. Social media can provide access to community, connection, important information, and space for self-expression. On the other hand, adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media may be at higher risk for internalizing mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. Measuring use is especially critical since social media can feel addictive and some mental health problems can lead to an increase in social media use, creating a harmful cycle.
The scope of this issue cannot be overstated, as 95 percent of young people ages 13-17 report using social media and more than a third say they use social media “almost constantly.” Despite many platforms requiring users to be 13 years old, nearly 40 percent of children ages 8-12 use social media, according to another source cited in the surgeon general’s advisory. An issue affecting this many youth requires action.
Researchers, policymakers, and technology companies should collaborate to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm of social media. Researchers can continue the work cited in this column, test possible solutions, and engage policymakers and technology companies to increase the impact of their insights.
Policymakers can force technology companies to act in users’ best interests. For example, last month, New York became the first state to pass a law regulating social media algorithms, or the formulas determining how posts are ordered in social media feeds to keep users engaged. The SAFE for Kids Act requires posts to be shown chronologically to users under 18, which is expected to make social media feeds less engrossing than those with activity-based algorithms.
Angus King, Maine’s independent in the United States Senate, helped introduce a similar bill, the Kids Off Social Media Act, that has not moved out of committee. Technology companies should do more than follow research-informed legislation, as they can be more proactive by listening to their users concerned about this issue and updating their products accordingly.
Youth, and their parents and caregivers, are often given too much responsibility (and thus blame) on this issue. Youth are told to have more self-discipline while adults responsible for them are expected to watch the duration and content of their kids’ screen time. There are resources to help them do that, such as those from the nonprofit Children and Screens, of course, but the burden should not be on them alone. Compare users on social media to drivers on the road. Yes, drivers themselves can be safer, but we regulate vehicle safety features, road signs and traffic signals, and more to make safe driving easier.
To share the burden of protecting youth from harm, we should advocate for change from all who can make social media a healthier experience.
