Dr. Mandy Cohen, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focused on youth mental health during a visit Wednesday to a pediatric practice in Brookhaven, stressing the importance of real-life connections and encouraging family conversations to help set limits on social media use.
Cohen noted connection is important and sometimes phones and social media can be that connection point and beneficial. But there are some indicators that social media can have a profound risk of harm to teens. Social media can be a distraction from homework and sleep but it can be a way to spread rumors and promote unrealistic standards of beauty, according to Mayo Clinic. Social media can also expose children to cyberbullying.
The use of social media can also increase feelings of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Checking in on friends and family through social media may make some feel that others are having more fun or living better lives than they are.
“We know (social media) can lead to things that actually decrease someone’s mental health, make kids more anxious. We particularly see that with girls,” she said.
Dr. Deneta Sells, founder of Intown Pediatrics in Brookhaven, shared the mental health challenges she’s seeing in children on a regular basis. She said more children are being diagnosed with depression and anxiety at an earlier age.
She said they routinely screen children for anxiety and depression as young as 11, but pediatricians are now considering asking a question or two about mental health for children as young as 8 years of age.
Following years of online learning and social isolation during the pandemic, Sells said many children are also worried about being safe at school.
“We hear from children all the time (asking) are they safe at school? Because of viruses and also because of school violence and gun violence. It’s amazing, hearing very young kids hearing these things and asking if they are safe at school,” she said.
In an effort to respond to growing mental health woes in children, Sells said her practice, which has three locations in metro Atlanta, has connected with several resources to help train staff to offer more mental health support during doctor visits. The practice also helps families connect with mental health counselors for additional support.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently called for warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required on tobacco products. Meanwhile, schools in Atlanta, Marietta and DeKalb County have announced steps to curb student cellphone use at school. Reducing cellphone access at school is expected to improve students’ academic performance, behavior and mental health.
So what’s behind the growing interest in cellphone and social media restrictions? The Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on social media and mental health noted a nearly universal use of social media by youth. Up to 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 reported using a social media platform, and a third said they use social media “almost constantly,” according to a Pew Research Center study quoted in the advisory.
According to a research study of American teens ages 12-15, those who used social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Cohen said while there are different approaches to managing social media use, it’s important for parents and children to have conversations about this. She said she was struck by a recent visit to Pittsburgh where she heard about children talking to each other about the impact of social media, and what’s appropriate and what’s not on social media.
“How can we collectively think about social media and putting sound boundaries around it to protect our kids, whose brains are still developing,” she said.
Cohen was accompanied by Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, who said children are eager to get guidance from their parents on navigating social media.
“One thing we know is kids are hungry for that kind of interaction with their parents and caregivers and they want to understand what the boundaries are and what is healthy, what’s not healthy,” she said.
What You Can Do
While it is up to each family to determine what types of limits work best for them, here is some advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics. As parents discuss any limits with their children, they should try to avoid shaming or blaming their child, which may backfire.
Understand why your child is so drawn to media. Ask them: “Are there times when you want to cut back on social media use? What are the negatives? What are the positives? Have you tried to cut back before? What has that experience been like for you?”
Make a shared plan. When possible, give children a “say” in how the limits are set, including alternative activities that match a child’s interests. Parents should include their own social media use as a part of the discussion: “So, it sounds like we both want to do less aimless scrolling at the end of the day, and walking the dog would be another good way to relieve stress.”
Explain the reason for the limit: “I feel like we sometimes waste too much time scrolling on social media. I miss going for walks with the dog together. What do you think?”
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