How Much Social Media is Too Much for my Teen – US Surgeon General Warns Social Media is Harmful to Children and Youth

Roughly 95% of adolescents aged 13-17 report using social media. Social media use can present mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, in children and adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media. This proves to be concerning as a recent survey revealed that teenagers average 3.5 hours a day on social media. Social media may also take a toll on aspects such as body image, with 46% of adolescents reporting that social media makes them feel worse about themselves.

As social media is a relatively new phenomenon, we do not yet know of the full impact that social media has on mental health. With this gap in our knowledge we cannot conclude that social media is safe for children and adolescents to use. There is ongoing research to find the full risks of social media use and the steps that we can take to protect young people from the harmful impacts.

So, what can we do to take action against the effects of social media? To protect themselves, young people should create a balance of being online and offline, be careful of what they post and with whom, report harassment and cyberbullying when they see it, and to reach out to a trusted adult or loved one for help. As a parent, you can encourage your child to have in-person relationships, model responsible online behavior, teach your children how to be safe and responsible online, and to talk with other parents to exchange ideas and provide support for one another.

What age should your kids be on these platform? These Social Media Platforms say you should be 15+: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, & TikTok. What’s App says you should be 16+. Youtube says you should be 18 years old or 13 and up with Adult Supervision.

When should they be allowed on Social Media? This is a loaded question and may require a conversation between parents on the mental, and emotional maturity of their teens? We recommend sites like Common Sense Media and Net Nanny where parents and teens comment and rate apps based on the age parents think that teens should or should not be on certain Social Media Apps. An attorney that writes social media & cyberbullying school policies said your high school teen needs to be very mature to be on SnapChat because of all the expulsions that happen at schools for pictures shared on Snapchat. She mentioned that all boys show the pictures girls send to boys! So if you do not want anyone else to see your intimate pictures keep them to yourselves.

How long should kids be on Social Media? Dr Catherine Adair wrote the Big Disconnect and she states if you allow them on Social media in Middle School that they should socialize for 3 hours to only be on for 1 hour – 1.5 hours and if 16+ socialize 2 hours in person and up can have up to 2 hours. Socializing can be board games with the families, playing outside with family or friends, sports, physical education, lunch time at school, dinner conversations, hobbies, arts and crafts. Socializing helps to balance the brain development and social skills.

If you are struggling with Social Medias effects on your child or teen please reach out to a mental health counselor for help!

James L West, MA, LMHC, NCC

Kerstin Gracia, Psychology Intern

Source:

Social Media and youth mental health – current priorities of the U.S. Surgeon general. – Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General. (n.d.). https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html#top

Common Sense Media