Social media’s effects on the mental health of young people are not well understood. That hasn’t stopped Congress, state legislatures, and the U.S.
surgeon general from moving ahead with age bans and warning labels for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This story also ran on . It can be .
But the emphasis on fears about social media may cause policymakers to miss the mental health benefits it provides teenagers, say researchers, pediatricians, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In June, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, called for on social media platforms. The Senate approved the bipartisan and a companion bill, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, on July 30.
And at least 30 states have relating to children and social media — from age bans and parental consent requirements to new digital and media literacy courses for K-12 students. Most research suggests that some features of social media can be harmful: Algorithmically driven content can distort reality and spread misinformation; incessant notifications distract attention and disrupt sleep; and the anonymity that sites offer can embolden cyberbullies. But social media can also be helpful for some young people, said , a research scientist and director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab at Wellesley Centers for Women.
For children of color and LGBTQ+ young people — and others who may not see themselves represented broadly in society �.