It’s time for strong, thoughtful regulation of social media use in young people
Instead of debating, we should accept that for young people, social media use is negatively affecting their development and their school communitiesThere has been a huge public debate about whether there is sufficient direct evidence of harm to introduce this regulation.
For the public it is crucial to understand all research studies have limitations, and must be interpreted within the context in which the data was collected. To understand any report, we must scrutinise the details.In recent years, anxiety has been on the rise among children and young people. Understanding why young people are anxious, depressed or overly focused on themselves is no easy task.
One influential data set asked people to leave out time spent “interacting with friends and family” when they estimated their time on social media. Yet in 2014 to 2015, sharing photos, following, and interacting with people you knew was the main use of social media. The findings appeared within a larger study a few years later, resulting in one headline that stated: “screen time may be no worse for kids than eating potatoes”.
Harms of social media use are shown in studies that examine the effects of sharing selfies, the impact of algorithms, influencers, extreme content, and the growth in cyberbullying. Finally, until the age of 16, increased time on social media is associated with feeling less satisfied with appearance and school work.
Instead of debating the nuances of research and levels of harm, we should accept that for young people, social media use is negatively affecting their development and their school communities.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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