The children of today are addicts, and the adults don’t know what to do.
On March 23, 2023 Utah passed “the social media regulation act” in order to regulate children’s social media usage, and keep young children under 13 off of social media platforms. This act was seen as controversial by other states because “kids don’t have to wait until they’re 18 to benefit from their first amendment’s protections,” and by taking social media from young people, the government is taking away from their freedom of speech and access to information.
Recent studies prove that the use of modern technology impacts the development of a young brain. It highlights how instant gratification and the social comparisons that come with social media can negatively impact a child’s mental development.
The Annie E. Casey foundation did a deep dive on the effects of social media, “Numerous studies show that higher levels of social media use among children and adolescents are linked to adverse effects,including depression and anxiety, inadequate sleep, low-self esteem, poor body image, eating disorder…”
Frequent social media usage may be associated with distinct changes in the developing amygdala and the prefrontal Cortex.
A study from “The Hill” found that the amount of kids who claimed that they hung out with friends outside of school dropped from 44% in 2010, to 32% in 2022. Another study from the National institute of Health said that loneliness has a significant impact on depression. Because of the decline of youth gathering in person, depression rates have risen significantly and social media seems to be at the root of all of it.
The CDC found that nearly 1 in three high school girls considered suicide in 2021, which was a 60% increase since 2011
Some popular platforms do already have age restrictions, restricting users under 13 from accessing their sites, but even still, the majority of young people start social media at the age of 12 or younger.
Despite the negative impact on children’s mental health, social media can also create an environment where young people can find people who they relate to, develop social skills and find a community.
Social media lets teens create online identities, chat with others, and build social networks.
Social media provides teens with support from other people who have hobbies or experiences in common. This freedom can create a sense of safety to young teens who may not have many friends outside of the digital world.
There is a lot of good that can come from social media and a digital identity, but there are some critical negative effects that come from giving children a platform that they can use to replace real social interactions, and these platforms may actually be harming real life social connections.
The effect on connections between friends and families in the real world cannot be overlooked. In families, riffs can be created when parents attempt to reduce their children’s time on social media.
The team at mclean highlighted one of the common sentiments among families when it comes to social media. “The only thing we seem to disagree about is how much time I want and how much I get.”
There is evidence that shows that Parents of teens can create a safer environment for social media through open-ness and honesty in their homes. A study done at Pew research center found that parents who talk with teens about digital safety and behavior issues are less likely to take a more hands on, restrictive approach.
Divides are not only happening in families, but in friendships as well, social media distracts from face-to-face communication, Promotes unrealistic expectations, and facilitates jealousy and insecurity. Many people against age restrictions believe that the role of guidance when it comes to social media definitely falls onto the parents, but with the new-ness of Social media, people are calling on the government for greater regulation and safety.
There have been restrictions on some social media platforms in the past few years, however, they have proved to be easy to get around, with the average age of signing up for an account getting lower each year.
The COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) enacted in 1998, prohibits American companies from collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, or to collect more personal information than they need to operate a service aimed at children under 13 but that rule is typically ignored.
The requirements of the act have been put under scrutiny in recent years with people saying that the systems put in place are outdated and easy to bypass. There are parental control apps and browsers that can allow a parent to give their children guidance while still letting them explore the benefits of social media.
Since these apps already exist, and yet there is still a problem with children on social media. That has also proven to not be a reliable fix.
There are regulations in place to protect children on social media, and there is also widespread research that shows a change in adolescent’s mental health and behaviors. This is not enough though, there needs to be another form of intervention to keep the youths in this world safe from devices that are proven to corrupt their brains.