CarelonRx’s Post

I was just involved in a book club about The Anxious Generation, which focuses on social media and youth mental health. There are some parallels between potential solutions discussed in the book and those discussed in CommunicateHealth’s post. I appreciate the point CommunicateHealth makes regarding parent-child communication about social media content. Children may not follow parental rules to avoid social media until a certain age (a recommendation put forth in the book I read), which is why effectively engaging youth in conversations about social media content and use is so important. Why teach “abstinence only” when it comes to social media use? We can create connections with children through open communication about benefits, risks, and appropriate use of social media.

Friends in New South Wales, please fill in this government survey on social media and its impact. As a father of two young children I am definitely concerned about their future possible exposure to inappropriate or harmful content, as well as their mental health. It has been demonstrated that social media can have harmful effects on children, adolescents, and teenagers, as can be seen by some of the pointed questions included in this survey. Please spare the time: https://lnkd.in/g7dM_geR

🚨 Breaking News: The U.S. Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms to protect teens' mental health. Dr. Vivek Murthy highlights that adolescents spending over 3 hours daily on social media are at double the risk for anxiety and depression. With teens averaging 4.8 hours a day, it's a growing crisis. "These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability," Murthy states. Click here to read the full article 👇 #mentalhealthmatters #youthwellbeing #youthmentalhealth Duncan Young Melanie Shaver-Durham Aaron Winik Eryn Wike Jen Murray Lisa Ciappi Michael Roseman Amy Conklin

In response to the recent news from the Surgeon General, I was invited to speak with Lauren Petty of NBC Chicago about managing social media usage associated with mental health issues in our youth. Thank you, NBC and Lauren Petty, for helping to educate families on recognizing unhealthy screen use and allowing me to share 6 tips to support parents in navigating social media use with their kids: 1. Model Healthy Usage: Show your kids how to use social media responsibly.  2. Delay Access: Wait as long as possible before allowing social media.  3. Set Boundaries: Establish clear guidelines for social media use.  4. Prioritize Sleep: Keep devices out of bedrooms to ensure quality sleep.  5. Tech-Free Times: Implement device-free periods during meals, homework, and bedtime.  6. Communicate: Discuss social media rules and risks with your kids. Watch the full segment here: https://hubs.la/Q02FfQwJ0 #MentalHealth #ScreenDependency #YouthMentalHealth #SocialMediaAwareness #SocialMediaSafety

The advisory concluded that more research is needed to fully understand the impacts of social media. But it showed there are some benefits and "ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents." Learn more: https://loom.ly/7tUCKSg

If you read food labels religiously when shopping at the supermarket, you may be intrigued by a new proposal of the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. He has called for a warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. In my latest column in The Straits Times, I consider the merits of his proposal. Indeed, he raises a very critical issue around the potential risks that social media use on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X and Snapchat can present for the wellbeing of teens. These include diminished self-esteem when you compare yourself to those you deem ‘superior’ to you, feeling excluded when you are not invited to a gathering of peers or inadequate on seeing images of physically attractive celebrities. You can also get emotionally affected by extremist views that are widely shared and commented on. The list goes on. Notably however, an analysis of existing research by the American National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found the evidence to be equivocal with regard to whether social media influences an individual’s mental health as opposed to the individual’s mental health influencing their use of social media. Whereas some may criticise Murthy’s proposal for a warning label as a simplistic solution to a complex problem, I venture that he has successfully underlined the need for tech companies to take greater responsibility for the potential effects that social media use has on the mental health of teens. Acknowledging that the warning label is but one lever, he called for social media companies to open themselves to independent safety audits and further proposed that they be required to share all of their findings on health effects with independent scientists and the broader public, something they currently are not required to do. Full text access in comments

Last week there was a congressional hearing that asked the heads of social media about apps and mental health in children. I have developed the R.E.S.E.T. Method to help my adult and pediatric patients to develop healthy habits around Social media. I teach young doctors at New York University how to use social and traditional media to inform the public. It’s important for responsible and credentialed mental health professionals to be active on social media to counteract the misinformation and the noise. I often sit with my therapy clients and discuss certain trends on TikTok or Instagram and use of Discord and Snap Inc. to educate about mental health themes and topics. It’s important for parents and providers to discuss harms of use and healthy use because children and adults should be aware of the potential dangers. Without these conversations children may get information elsewhere and may be ill-prepared for the harms. I firmly believe that my use of social media has helped millions of people around the world to improve their knowledge about mental health diagnosis, treatment and options. We also have to learn about the potential harms of social Media use because there are positives and negatives about social media use. We want to make informed decisions about our use of social media platforms. #socialmedia #mentalhealth

🚨 New York City sues social media platforms over youth mental health crisis 🚨 Key takeaways: 👉 In the lawsuit against TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, the city of New York said the platforms are responsible for an uptick in mental health issues among young people, including depression and suicide ideation. 👉 Mayor Office of Mayor-Elect Eric Adams said: “NYC is the first major American city to take combined steps of this magnitude and call out the danger of social media clearly and directly just as the surgeon general did with tobacco and guns.” 👉 The city also released a social media action plan that highlights how it plans to hold social media companies accountable, provide education and support to young people and families, and study the long-term impacts of social media on youth. 👉 In the US, it’s very hard to sue social media platforms because of a federal law called “Section 230,” which holds that tech companies cannot be held liable for the content that users post to their platforms. Will other states follow in New York's footsteps? Let us know what you think. Full article: https://lnkd.in/dj_4TxHV #MentalHealth #NewYork #Wellness #News

US surgeon general wants social media warning labels, BBC https://lnkd.in/eC9WnrcJ "Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said social media increased the risk that children would experience symptoms of anxiety and depression." "In the article, he also called for phone use to be banned in schools, and said parents should stop children from using devices during meals and at bedtime." "But he accepts that there is no academic consensus on the impact of these platforms, and is calling for more research to be done. "In an emergency, you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information," he said. "You assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly. "The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency - and social media has emerged as an important contributor." "Gin Lalli BSc HPD DSFH, psychotherapist and author of How to Empty Your Stress Bucket, told the BBC warning labels would be "a significant step towards promoting better mental health and wellbeing". She said that social media may have many benefits, but there may also be some risks such as cyberbullying or exposure to harmful content. "These risks lead to anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, something myself and my colleagues are seeing more and more." She said a warning label would act as a reminder for people to be mindful of their usage, and to take regular breaks. "I can also see warning labels as being of great benefit to the parents – having that ‘back-up’ so to speak means that they can feel more confident in setting boundaries around social media use," she said." "Some research has found a link between heavy social media use and a negative impact on teenagers' mental health, and other research has linked teenage social media use to a reduction in how satisfied children feel with their lives. But a 2023 study found no evidence linking the global spread of Facebook and widespread psychological harm, while other research reported some children benefit from spending time online speaking to friends they already know offline. And the American Psychological Association says social media is "not inherently beneficial or harmful", though it warns of problematic use and wants content removed which encourages harm. It also said "most" under-14s should be monitored while using social media." These warnings simply note real risks and the need to deal with them. The challenge is to use research to limit the harm and maximise the benefits of social-media or better still create social-media that positively improves lives, with better mental, emotional and physical health. There are excellent resources out there from the The Greater Good Science Center https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/ and others with advice, guides and practices. We could even go beyond this to help us in all the parts of our lives we need to be in a good place - relationships, work, money, housing, safety, crime, environment... Paul Wright - FFPH - FRSPH

Senators have proposed the Stop the Scroll Act, mandating mental health warning labels on social media. The labels, created by the surgeon general and FTC, aim to inform users of mental health risks. Users must acknowledge these warnings each time they log in. Read more here 👇 https://buff.ly/3zqSTvv #MentalHealthAwareness #SocialMediaRegulation.