Effects of Social Media on Youths

social media

Effects of Social Media on Youths

Steering Committee

June 30, 2023

As we settle into summer break and our clients/students are enjoying their free time, it is time we talk about social media and youth. Recently the United States Surgeon General released an advisory on the effects the use of social media can have on the mental health of youth. The advisory highlights that social media can have differing effects on youth depending on access, age, developmental stage, race, and socioeconomic status. One of the noteworthy things the advisory emphasizes, along with the research and literature available, is the varying degrees of interpretation that social media has in our society. One of the challenges of the research is that much of it cannot be compared because the definitions that researchers use to define social media varies greatly – this is one of the handicaps of looking at various studies and being able to draw any conclusions. One of the things the research does agree on is that it is important for educators, parents, policy makers, and youth themselves to get educated regarding the use of social media and how to make good use of the opportunities that are available.

Let us start with some key information from the actual Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health 2023 itself: 1

  • 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform
  • More than one third say they use social media “almost constantly”
  • Nearly 40% of youth ages 8-12 use social media
  • Average use for 8th and 10th graders is 3.5 hours per day
  • Correlational research points to some concerning associations between mental health and social media use
    • Higher potential for harm for girls
    • Higher potential for harm for those already marginalized
    • Higher levels of cyberbullying
    • Body image and disordered eating problems
    • Poor sleep
    • May push youth to participate in risk-taking behaviors

As mentioned previously, one of the challenges when comparing the research is that there are varying definitions of what constitutes “social media.” While some studies include things like gaming and texting, others exclude them making it difficult to compare results from study to study. In general, social media can be defined as any digital tool or application that allows users to interact socially and is distinguishable from traditional media in that the user can both consume and create content. So, it would be useful to consider what platforms youth typically use.

A 2022 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teenagers, ages 13-17, found that:2

  • 95% report using YouTube
  • 67% use TikTok
    • 16% said they use it almost constantly
  • 62% report using Instagram
  • 59% report using Snapchat
  • Boys are more likely to use YouTube, Twitch, and Reddit
  • Girls are more likely to use TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat
  • 95% report having access to a smartphone
  • 90% report having access to a desktop or laptop
  • 80% report having access to a gaming console

This gives us an idea of what platforms youth may be using, how they are accessing these, and how much time they are spending online but we need to move beyond just thinking about how much time kids are spending online and start to interpret how they are spending their time, with whom, and what they are engaging with. More than time, what may be most important is how and why adolescents are engaging with social media. The consensus of more current and growing research is that what is important to look at more deeply than just how much “screen time” kids and adolescents engage in is the “nature, quality, and perceived meaning of digital engagement.”3

We know that early adolescence/adolescence is a key timeframe for brain development and what some of the research points to is that the use of social media may have profound effects during this time. Early adolescence is a time when self-identity is forming – when our sense of self-worth and self-esteem is burgeoning – social media can be especially damaging to this process due to peer comparison, opinions, and pressure. One key finding in most of the research is that youth who are vulnerable due to being a part of a marginalized group are much more likely to suffer from negative experiences online.

The American Psychological Association (APA) released their own advisory on social media use in adolescence and they highlighted that:4

  • Research demonstrates that adolescents’ exposure to online dis¬crimination and hate predicts increases in anxiety and depressive symptoms
  • Research indicates that as compared to offline bullying, online bullying and harassment can be more severe, and thus damaging to psychological development

But there are some benefits and opportunities that could be gained from spending time online, such as being able to connect with others and create community, which is especially useful for marginalized communities, like LGBTQIA+ youth.5 Efforts to protect youth well-being should not discount the positive interactions that can happen when kids connect on social media. “We need to figure out how to harness the potential benefits of online social connections while decreasing the potential harms,” said Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a JAMA Psychiatry editorial board member.6

It is important to build skills and competencies around social media so kids can have control and agency over their engagement with these technologies. We need education for kids and parents on responsible use of social media. We need to help kids be more intentional about the time they spend on social media and ask questions like what are they using it for? For connection? For entertainment? For information? For resources? To pass the time?

We need to listen, not lecture. Ask questions about what youth are experiencing online, ask what is helpful or hurtful, ask them how they think social media impacts their daily life and mood. And then listen to their answers so we know how to help and support, if needed. We need to prepare, not protect youth to navigate digital media. Digital media is where much of our lives take place now, we communicate, conduct commercial transactions, engage in discourse, exchange information, play games, and seek entertainment on digital media – we do more than live with digital media, we live in it. We need to give youth the tools they need to navigate the world they live in. We need to model, not meddle. A significant way we can support the healthy use of social media by youth is by modeling what that looks like. Research shows that a caregivers’ own use of technology rather than their attitude determines how youth will engage with that technology – higher screen time use by parents is linked to higher screen time use by youth.7 We need to work together with youth to help them understand the impact of social media use on their daily activities and attitudes and model good habits for its use.

It's important to note that while social media can have negative effects on youth mental health, it can also provide support, educational resources, and opportunities for connection and self-expression. The key lies in promoting responsible and mindful use of social media platforms, fostering digital literacy, and encouraging young individuals to balance their online interactions with real-life connections and activities.

References:

  1. U.S. Surgeon General, May 2023, “Social Media and Youth Mental Health 2023”
  2. Pew Research Center, August 2022, “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022”
  3. Kostyrka-Allchorne K, Stoilova M, Bourgaize J, Rahali M, Livingstone S, Sonuga-Barke E. Review: Digital experiences and their impact on the lives of adolescents with pre-existing anxiety, depression, eating and nonsuicidal self-injury conditions - a systematic review. Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2023 Feb; 28(1):22-32. doi: 10.1111/camh.12619. Epub 2022 Dec 7. PMID: 36478091; PMCID: PMC10108198.
  4. American Psychological Association, May 2023, “Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence”
  5. Meeting the Needs of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: Formative Research on Potential Digital Health Interventions
  6. Family Digital Literacy Practices and Children’s Mobile Phone Use

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