Social addiction: Area experts say constant scrolling can lead to mental health woes in teens
MetroCreative
MetroCreative
Experts say that spending too much time on social media can be detrimental to teens无毛视频� mental health.
MetroCreative
MetroCreative
Pennsylvania is among the 42 states suing Meta, alleging social media apps like Facebook and Instagram include features that are addictive to younger users.
The impact of social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram on children and teens is getting more attention following a multi-state lawsuit against Meta that alleges the company intentionally designed its products with addictive features that negatively impact young users.
Emily Walentosky, a school psychologist at California Area School District, said social media is a big part of many kids and teens无毛视频� lives, but spending too much time online is harmful.
Constant scrolling has contributed to a number of problems, including anxiety, depression, loneliness and an unhealthy focus on body flaws, according to Walentosky.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 pretty clear that social media has negatively impacted the mental health of our very vulnerable population of children and adolescents, causing symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety that can have a lasting impact down the road,无毛视频� she said.
Pennsylvania has joined dozens of other states suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, accusing the company of fueling a youth mental health crisis with addicting features on the platforms, and not doing anything to fix it.
The lawsuit also claims the company routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents无毛视频� consent, and says Meta无毛视频檚 profits come at the expense of the children and teens it has exploited and manipulated.
The company无毛视频檚 2022 revenues reportedly were $116.6 billion.
无毛视频淭he time has come for social media giants to stop trading in our children无毛视频檚 mental health for big profits,无毛视频� said Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. 无毛视频淎ccording to the lawsuit, Meta not only targets young minds with addictive, harmful, trap-door content 无毛视频� it also lies to the public and parents about how their platforms are safe. Creators have built multi-billion dollar empires by promoting a click-bait culture that is psychologically hurting kids.无毛视频�
Dr. Gary Swanson, a child and adolescent psychologist at Allegheny Health Network, said while social media has some benefits, 无毛视频渢he problem is, you can无毛视频檛 throw the whole thing out, but I don无毛视频檛 know how you get rid of the bad stuff and keep the good stuff.无毛视频�
A recent Gallup survey found teens spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media per day, with 17-year-olds logging nearly 6 hours a day on platforms.
Swanson said adolescence and childhood represent a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media.
无毛视频淭he sum total is, a lot of times social media is negative and a lot more harmful than it is positive,无毛视频� said Swanson. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e seen over the last 10 or 15 years with iPhones and social media that we无毛视频檙e seeing more mental health issues with teens, more depression and anxiety. Kids无毛视频� brains are still developing and they无毛视频檙e more vulnerable, and are especially influenced by what they无毛视频檙e viewing on social media and can feel badly about themselves.无毛视频�
Swanson said he无毛视频檚 not sure what impact the lawsuit can have on the use of social media.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 have a good solution because it无毛视频檚 going to be hard to put this genie back in the bottle,无毛视频� said Swanson.
The lawsuit also comes as the U.S. surgeon general issued a social media health advisory in May about the potential effects online platforms have on kids and teens.
The surgeon general issued a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people to gain a better understanding of the impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children.
One recent survey showed nearly 60% of teens said social media made them feel sad or poorly about themselves.
无毛视频淭hey see pictures on Instagram of celebrities and they don无毛视频檛 realize those pictures are filtered and doctored, and when their body doesn无毛视频檛 look like that, they think something is wrong with them,无毛视频� said Walentosky. 无毛视频淔acebook and Instagram have these algorithms that when children and teens interact with certain posts, they get targeted ads from certain supplements or drinks aimed at influencing them. It无毛视频檚 advertising at its extreme.无毛视频�
Walentosky and Swanson recommend parents to be aware of and have access to their children无毛视频檚 social media accounts.
Said Walentosky, 无毛视频淚无毛视频檇 say to definitely keep a close eye on your children无毛视频檚 social interaction on social media. Don无毛视频檛 be afraid to look into what they无毛视频檙e looking at and who they无毛视频檙e interacting with.无毛视频�