Kudos to US Surgeon General – Dr. Vivek Murthy For Major Mental Health Warning About Social Media and Youth Mental Health!
On Tuesday May 23rd, I was so pleased to see the US Surgeon General – Dr. Vivek Murthy on a number of television news channels raising the alarm of the impact of social media on children and adolescents’ mental health. Finally, I said to myself, because as a Mental Health researcher and advocate, my colleague, a Child Psychiatrists and I often address this said issue in our presentations to young people and their families. Sometimes as I look out into the audience, I often see blank stares, as if we were speaking a foreign language. This was especially profound when we present to schools and I often think, social media has more impact on our young people than the scientific information we are sharing with them in our presentation. Back in 2022, I recalled watching a report on 60-Minutes, the reporter highlighting that the contents and features on social media platforms severely and adversely have an impact on the mental health of children, and in some cases, lead to children’s demises. Then, more than 1,200 families were pursuing lawsuits against social media companies. Still, it would appear that instances like these did not make a difference because social media platforms solidified their position among children and adolescents. But it is no longer possible for us to ignore social media’s potential contribution to the increased mental health challenges our children and families are experiencing.
Thus, now as the Nation’s Top Health Official, the Surgeon General Dr. Murthy may be able to get the Nation and our children and adolescents to listen as he sheds light on the challenges and push for us to fully understand the potential risks of the “harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” In his extensive 19-page advisory report, the Surgeon General noted, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” In the same report, the scientific evidence shows how social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have strengthen their position within American culture and found that up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 engaged online and more than a third reported they use at least one social media “almost constantly”. Hence, the report also detailed as social media use increases, those who spend more than three hours a day on these platforms are more likely to experience poor mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety and neuroticism. This is especially troubling when you consider that children and adolescents spend at least 3½ hours a day on social media. Though the report also addressed some potential benefits of social media, particularly for marginalized groups, it was evident that the risk outweighs the benefits. “Different children and adolescents are affected by social media in different ways, based on their individual strengths and vulnerabilities, and based on cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors,” the report emphasized.
With this starling evidence, the Surgeon General advisory report called on policymakers, technology companies, parents and caregivers, children and adolescents, and researchers to be more cognizant of their respective roles in addressing this urgent mental health issue in the development and implementation of safer online policies and practices to protect them not only from harmful content, but also data collection features. So, kudos to US Surgeon General – Dr. Vivek Murthy for boldly bringing this important issue on social media and mental health to the forefront. Like all interesting parties, we here at Msingi Institute recognized that social media do have benefits and risks, but it’s also important to help protect children and adolescents’ mental health and well-being in the age of social media and technology. Together we can change the culture of social media impact on our children and work toward eradicating mental health and mental health stigma.
For more information on The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory Report visit:
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf
