< Major psychologists' group warns of social media's potential harm to kids

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

For the first time, the American Psychological Association is issuing recommendations for teenagers' use of social media.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

And it comes at a time when teens and tweens are facing high rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness. There's evidence that social media can make all of those problems worse.

INSKEEP: NPR mental health correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff is here. Good morning.

MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: Well, OK, what do they recommend?

DOUCLEFF: So the recommendations focus really on two main points. First is the content on kids' feeds. The APA says parents need to make sure to minimize dangerous content, including that related to suicide, eating disorders and racism. Studies suggest that exposure to these harmful behaviors can actually promote them in some children.

INSKEEP: And I would imagine that some children see that kind of thing often.

DOUCLEFF: You know, it has become more common than maybe many parents realize. A recent survey of teenage girls using social media found that more than a third come across content related to suicide or eating disorders at least once a month. Dr. Arthur C. Evans is a CEO for the APA. He says parents also need to be aware of cyberhate and cyberbullying.

ARTHUR C EVANS: Online cyberbullying can be more harmful than offline bullying, so there's an impact that is greater for online bullying.

DOUCLEFF: So the APA guidelines say that for kids under age 15 or so, parents should really be with the child when they use social media.

EVANS: As children become older, you're going to be spending more time coaching, talking, helping to educate your child.

DOUCLEFF: The APA also notes that this dangerous material really shouldn't be in the child's feed in the first place, and that that responsibility sits largely with the tech companies making these platforms.

INSKEEP: And yet the recommendations put a lot of burden on the parents. The idea of being there all the time your kid is near a screen seems problematic. Is that the right word?

DOUCLEFF: Absolutely. And monitoring the feeds - right? - is hard.

INSKEEP: Yeah.

DOUCLEFF: It's a criticism I'm hearing from a lot of clinicians. One of them is Bob Keane. He's a psychologist at Walden Behavioral Care, which helps teens with eating disorders. He says it's unrealistic to expect parents to be able to monitor kids' accounts like this, especially when kids know more about social media than parents do.

BOB KEANE: We're in a crisis here, and a family's ability or a parent's ability to manage this right now is very limited. And that's, I think, what families really need help with. What do we do? You can't monitor kids' utilization on this as a parent. It's really - they get away from you.

DOUCLEFF: And so, many psychologists tell me this guidance really can't be implemented without cooperation from tech companies or some federal regulation.

INSKEEP: OK. Well, until that happens, is there anything else parents can do?

DOUCLEFF: Yeah. You know, the other big recommendation is to get kids training before they start social media or while they're on it. They need to be taught about this dangerous content, and the fact that a lot on social media is a highlight reel of people's lives, right? It's not reality. Studies show that when teens compare themselves to these images, it can cause depression. And remember, these platforms can be addictive. The algorithms try to keep kids on these platforms as long as possible. So one tangible piece of advice I'm hearing, Steve, is for families to have periods in the day where nobody in the family is using social media at all.

INSKEEP: Oh, I'm sorry, Michaeleen. I was just checking Instagram. What were you saying? No, I'm just kidding.

DOUCLEFF: (Laughter) No social media for an hour, everyone.

INSKEEP: Gotcha. There we go. Great. Great. I'll go for that. Michaeleen, thanks so much.

DOUCLEFF: Thank you, Steve.

INSKEEP: That's NPR mental health correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff. And seriously, if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

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