Social Media & Our Youth

Each new leap in technology, from the telegraph to the Internet, has provoked a vigorous response from physicians, psychologists, educators, and parents about the possible negative effects on youth. The introduction of the smartphone just 10 years ago has created new challenges for parents, schools, and our youth.

Parents and educators alike are struggling to figure out how to address smart phone use, Internet access, and social media presence, not only for themselves but also for their children. In a 2015 study, the Pew Research Center estimated that 92% of teens go online daily, with 24% of American teens reported going online “almost constantly.” The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research study this year reported that approximately ¾’s of teens use Instagram and Snap Chat, and only slightly fewer use Facebook. Just as parents learn how to navigate the latest app, it is safe to say that their children have found a new one.

At the same time that parents are struggling with screen time for their children, schools are expanding the use of technology in order to provide students with new learning opportunities that reflect the world in which we live. And parents themselves struggle with the intrusion of technology into their home lives—technology allows working parents to work virtually around the clock, and to remain connected to friends and family, albeit through a screen.

A recent New York Times article about teens, “Why Are More American Teens Than Ever Suffering from Severe Anxiety,” by Benoit Denizet-Lewis, suggested that the dramatic rise in the number of students reporting anxiety could, in part, be traced to the rise of social media. A young college student was quoted as saying, “I don’t think we realize how much it’s affecting our moods and personalities. Social media is a tool, but it’s become this thing that we can’t live without but that’s making us crazy.” In her recent book “iGen,” and in an article in The Atlantic, Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, highlights a number of studies exploring the connection between social media and unhappiness, “The arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health. There is compelling evidence that the devices we’ve placed in young people’s hands are having profound effects on their lives—and making them seriously unhappy.”

The American Academy of Pediatricians (healthychildren.org) has published guidelines for children and youth around the use of technology. Their website has a number of resources for parents on topics as diverse as cyberbullying and family media plans, to the right age to provide a smartphone to children. The Child Mind Institute (childmind.org) has also developed a number of resources for parents about media use. For teens, their recommendations include setting a good example by limiting your use of technology, setting limits to screen time both in duration as well as in location (i.e., media free zones in the home), and ensuring that youth employ privacy settings appropriately on social media sites. The rule of thumb often mentioned is: “If you don’t want your grandmother to read it or see it, don’t post it online.”