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In the last few weeks, it seems like there is new and emerging data on social media use and teens every other day. This week’s report from the Surgeon General is yet another important reminder of the potentially harmful impact of social media use on vulnerable tweens and teens.
And while the urgent warning around the mental health of youth in this country is necessary, is it cause for ALL parents to panic? As with most things, the answer is more complex and personal.
As is usually the case, the report is full of mixed data on social media use. Firstly, the report acknowledges that for some children, social media provides meaningful acceptance, support, creative outlets and connection. For others, the report cites depression and anxiety, disordered eating, addiction, and low self-esteem. The determining factors? As expected, the report highlights the amount of time spent on social media, the content consumed, and the amount of disruption around sleep, physical activity and other activities of daily life. It also acknowledges the yet unknown role that gender, cultural, historical and socio-economic factors appear to play on the impact of social media usage.
While it urges more research and policy change around social media use for young people, the report also lists simple and relatively well-understood safety precautions that parents can use to limit the potentially harmful effect on teens. These include healthy boundaries such as time limits, content restrictions, rules around personal information sharing - and, perhaps most notably, a focus on in-person relationships, self-regulation and responsible online behavior. None of this is necessarily new information for parents, but instead further reminds us that we can and must help our children navigate this new area of their lives.
Here are two useful tips to help you assess your child’s social media use right now:
Check their feed for what type of content the algorithm is delivering to them. It will suggest more of what they have searched for before, so chances are that a feed full of pigs and puppies signals that your child has not been exploring concerning content. On the other hand, if the feed contains disturbing messages, a fixation on diet, beauty, trauma, etc. (you get the gist), it's a signal to you that your child is not using social media in a way that is supporting their mental health.
Take a minute to assess how your child is doing in school, with friends, in family and social situations, and in their overall health and wellness. Since there is no one-size-fits-all amount of social media for children, you have to rely on what you see for yourself. If things are going well, your child is likely managing their social media usage effectively. If you suspect that your teenager falls in the category of those for whom social media is causing harm, have a conversation with them about your concerns, set safe limits, and remember that just because it’s been more accessible than you would like in the past, it doesn't mean it needs to stay that way. We are all a work in progress and this is just another example of learning as we go.
If you’re reading this and you have not introduced social media in your home, consider this one more good excuse to put it off.