Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

  • Social media is linked to rising mental health issues in children and teens, including anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders. The American Psychological Association notes that excessive social media use can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and isolation, increasing anxiety and depression in youth. It also distorts reality in a vacuum by attracting children to dangerous communities that seem much larger online than they would be in real life. This leads to comparison, unhealthy body image standards, and a drop in self-worth.
  • We must empower parents to set limits on screen time and encourage healthy, supportive, and real-world interactions. A critical aspect of this is helping children navigate the dangers of social media in a way that supports their overall mental and emotional health.

Parents Must Be in Control of Their Children’s Online Exposure

  • Parents must be able to control their children's online access. While social media companies prioritize profit through clicks and data collection, it's parents who should determine what content their children encounter. Many platforms’ algorithms are designed to keep kids engaged, often exposing them to harmful content.
  • Big Tech cannot abdicate responsibility for harmful content on its platforms and shift liability to a device’s app store. It is up to the company or app producing the inappropriate content to create guardrails that parents can implement for their children. While parents should have control over their children’s access to messaging on their devices, it shouldn’t only be on the parents’ shoulders to safeguard their children. Social media companies are using some of the best tactics in existence, like AI, to target children and teens in the most insidious ways; those companies bear responsibility too.
  • Parents should use parental controls, engage in conversations about digital safety, and advocate for stronger regulations to hold social media companies accountable for their platforms' impact on children’s vulnerabilities, leading to addiction, inappropriate content, and negative mental health effects—the onus is on them.

Excessive Screen Time and Building Stronger Communities

  • Excessive screen time negatively affects children’s physical and mental health, including poor posture, reduced activity, and sleep disturbances. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time to one hour per day for children aged 2-5. Many exceed this, increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, and long-term health issues.
  • Prolonged screen use hinders physical development and reduces engagement in active play, which is essential for brain development, motor skills, and overall health.
  • Excessive screen time also weakens family and community connections. Encouraging physical activities and real-world interactions fosters better social skills, emotional well-being, and stronger communities. Research shows that social connections improve mental health and longevity.
  • When children do have screen time, they should be viewing programming that has a moral framework or teaches important, value-based themes, like good and evil. The viewing should never be passive or cause harm to their attention spans.