Top US health official warns of social media mental health crisis
Negative mental health impacts of social media on adolescents – especially girls – have been called out by the US Surgeon General in a blunt advisory that warns of ‘ample indicators’ of harm
READING LEVEL: RED
Social media can seriously harm the mental health of young people, particularly adolescent girls, the US Surgeon General warned in an advisory* on Tuesday, calling for safeguards* from tech companies for children who are at critical stages of brain development.
America’s most senior health official, Dr Vivek Murthy, said that while social media offers some benefits, there are “ample indicators* that social media could also harm children’s wellbeing.”
“We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address,” Dr Murthy said.
His warnings have implications* for Australia and its young people as the two countries have so much in common in terms of social and cultural trends. The advisory in the US found that social media use may cause and perpetuate* body image issues, affect eating behaviours and sleep quality, and lead to social comparison and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls, citing* responses from a survey conducted among adolescents.
Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the advisory.
Most adolescents in the US say social media helps them feel more accepted, more supported during tough times, more connected to their friends, and more creative, the advisory also said.
Nonetheless, the advisory recommended that US policymakers* should strengthen safety standards in ways that improve those benefits for children of all ages, while noting that inappropriate and harmful content continues to be easily and widely accessible to children.
Tech companies should adhere* to age limits to control access to social media platforms, and be transparent* about data regarding the impact of their products on children, the advisory urged.
Algorithms* and platform design should seek to maximise the potential benefits of social media instead of features designed to make users spend more time on them, it said.
“The first principle* of healthcare is to do no harm – that’s the same standard we need to start holding social media platforms to,” said Saul Levin, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association.
The report includes suggestions for what parents, tech companies, as well as children and adolescents, can do to avoid dangerous pitfalls* and make the social media experience more positive – advice that has practical application for Australian families, educators and health practitioners. They include creating a family media plan, encouraging in-person friendships, talking to children about how they spend their time online, and encouraging them to seek help should they need it.
GLOSSARY
- advisory: an official announcement that contains advice, information or a warning
- safeguards: measures taken to protect someone or something from harm or destruction
- indicators: measures, signs, signals marks that something is the case
- implications: potential consequences, possible future effects or results
- perpetuate: to cause something to continue
- citing: mentioning something as proof or as a reason for something happening
- policymakers: members of government departments or organisations that create policies
- adhere: support, keep or stick to, hold firm
- transparent: being open and honest, not withholding or concealing information and practices
- algorithms: sets of mathematical list of instructions that tell computers what to do
- principle: accepted rules, beliefs or ideas that guide you
- pitfalls: hidden or unexpected danger or difficulty
EXTRA READING
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Gen Z girls go all in on influencers
QUICK QUIZ
- Who is the current US Surgeon General?
- How great is the risk of poor mental health outcomes for adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media?
- What is the first principle of healthcare?
- What did the advisory say that tech companies should do?
- What are four suggestions in the US report that have practical application for Australian families, educators and health practitioners?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Help parents!
Create a poster. The purpose of your poster is to give parents tips on how to support tweens and teens to use social media in healthy and positive ways.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Health and Physical Education; Personal and Social Capability; Visual Communication Design
2. Extension
Do you know about algorithms and how they are used when we use social media? Use your research skills to find out how and why algorithms are part of apps that we use. Use the information that you have found to write a report on why social media companies use them and how they can be dangerous for social media users.
Time: Allow 60 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Economics and Business; Digital Technologies; Health and Physical Education
VCOP ACTIVITY
Creative vocabulary
Find a bland sentence from the article to up-level. Can you add more detail and description? Can you replace any ‘said’ words with more specific synonyms?
Have you outdone yourself and used some really great vocabulary throughout your writing? Firstly, well done. Secondly, let’s ensure everyone can understand it by adding a glossary of terms. Pick three of your wow words and create a glossary for each word to explain what it means.