Sydney: The Australian government is drafting a law that will ban the use of social media by children under 16. There is widespread public debate over whether there is sufficient direct evidence of the harms of social media to impose this regulation. The debate involves academics, mental health organisations, advocacy groups and digital education providers. Let's take a step back and look at the entire research landscape.
Social media has become an integral part of everyday life. Many teens do not want extensive research, so these studies are intrusive, require consent, and have limited conclusions. As a result, we often hear that the effects of social media are small or inconclusive.
It is important for the general public to understand that all research studies have their limitations and must be interpreted within the context in which the data was collected. To understand any report we must examine the details.
Many mechanisms are at work..
In recent years, the problem of anxiety and panic has been increasing among children and youth. It is not easy to understand why young people are anxious or depressed or why they focus excessively on themselves. When it comes to the potential negative effects of social media, there are several mechanisms at work. Understanding them requires data on many aspects: reviewing mood while online, examining mental health over several years, school relationships, even examining the brain – to name a few.
Despite the many margins of error, it is not surprising that there is ongoing debate among researchers about the extent of harm social media is causing. It is common for studies to have limitations. What's worse, researchers are often not given full access to social media companies' data.
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That's why we need to pay more attention to those big 'whistleblowers' in the technology world who have deep access. These technology companies have access to the data. They use it to exploit human nature. There is no justification for focusing on the debate among researchers. There is ample evidence to demonstrate that excessive use of social media can be harmful to youth.
What does the evidence show..
One argument you may often hear is that it's not clear whether depression and anxiety are caused by people spending more time on screens or more time on screens causes depression and anxiety. It is harmful under any circumstances so there is no reason to ignore these potential disadvantages.
The harms of social media use have been shown in studies. Social media increases jealousy, comparison and fear of missing out or 'FOMO'. Many teens procrastinate by using social media.
It is through these mechanisms that the relationship between depression, anxiety and low self-esteem becomes apparent. Ultimately, spending more time on social media by age 16 is associated with lower satisfaction with appearance and school work.
There is also credible evidence that limiting social media use reduces levels of anxiety, depression and 'fomo' in teenagers and young adults aged 17-25.
We ignore this evidence at our peril.
The evidence is enough..
It will take a long time to understand the intricacies of how every aspect of modern life affects mental health. This task is difficult, especially given the lack of reliable data from technology companies tracking screen time.
Despite this, there is already considerable credible evidence to suggest that limiting children's social media use is essential for their well-being. Instead of debating the specifics of the research and the levels of harm, we should acknowledge that social media use by youth is negatively impacting their development.
In fact, the government's proposed ban on children's social media use is akin to banning phones in school. Some critics argued in 2018 that “banning smartphones would prevent children from gaining the knowledge they need when working online.”
Evidence shows that banning smartphones in school has reduced the need to address mental health issues and led to academic improvements. It is time to agree that social media use is harming our communities and we need strict and proper regulation of its use by youth.
(-PTI Agency)
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