Time to take action to protect our youth

When the US surgeon general issues a warning, people had better be prepared to listen. The latest is about social media use, particularly among children and teens.

“More research is needed to fully understand the impact of social media; however, the current body of evidence indicates that while social media may have benefits for some children and adolescents, 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,” the recent US surgeon general advisory stated.

The basis for the statement springs from studies conducted for over a decade, giving way to this “concern about the potential negative impact of social media on children and adolescents.”

A research study that followed large groups of people for a long time showed that adolescents who spend more than three hours on social media a day were likely to experience poor mental health, which included bouts of depression and anxiety.

On the other hand, restraining the use of social media in a small, randomized controlled trial for college students to just 30 minutes a day over three weeks resulted in significant improvements in depression, while the deactivation of social media for four weeks in a separate study improved subjective well-being.

For many of the more Filipino conservative parents, regulating social media exposure of their children, however increasingly difficult, has been on top of their duties. Many come up with time limits to social media use and explain the reasons why.

‘New world’

The risks that can be found in social media, as well as the effects of prolonged exposure, however, are not always well explained. This is more apparent in many families where the parents are too busy to invoke the necessary controls and guidance on social media use.

Almost all school children nowadays dream to own a mobile phone because they see the “new world” that opens up when having one. Tiktok, Reels, Stories are just a few of the exciting social media platforms that offer hours of entertainment, and reinforce a strong sense of belonging.

Most parents, though, are oblivious of the many dangers. It is not just the existence of violent and sexual content or bullying and harassment, but also the unnoticed addiction that robs youngsters of much needed sleep and the deprivation of opportunities that allow for the normal development of emotions and mental health.

For these risks alone, the US surgeon general is calling on government policy makers, technology companies, and even the science community to come up with solutions that would negate the yet unseen, but real risks on our youth.

Way forward

“Our children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s impact,” the warning cries out. It could be too late to save a generation that has fallen prey to the ills of social media, and for this reason, concerted action is needed now.

While parents have a hand in keeping their children safe from negative effects of social media, governments too have a role in enforcing technology companies to come up with greater safeguards that would keep children from accessing harmful content.

These days, its astonishing how much materials abound on the internet that talk about dieting, despite not being scientifically proven effective or healthy. On the extreme side, a number of popular sites even encourage eating disorders that lead to weight loss, which is associated to being beautiful.

In several stories of friends’ children who committed suicide, the existence of massive amounts of detailed information on how to commit suicide that their child had referred to reflects the breakdown of responsible stewardship of online content.

Somehow, policing these kinds of content has been challenging given the debates on how extensive the modern world should regard freedom of speech. We live in a world where democracy now translates to extreme liberalism, where everyone has a right to do whatever no matter if it’s ethically wrong or harmful.

Technology’s role

Definitely, technology companies will play a crucial role in how social media platforms will negate any damage that can affect the health welfare of our youth in the coming years. They hold the keys that can lock out hazards, as well as prevent children and adolescents from accessing these.

Admittedly, many of the big tech companies are introducing privacy safeguards, such matter being one of the biggest concerns by people these days. But there’s so much more than can be done, specifically on keeping the underage from exposure to cyber harm.

Even as research initiatives struggle to accumulate better data on the benefits and harm that accrue with social media use, the stewards of such popular social medium platforms like TikTok, Reels, Stories, YouTube, and many more should also be more proactive in doing their own assessments in a more responsible way.

As the US surgeon general has said, the use by children and adolescents of platforms designed for adults has put the former at high risk. Tech companies must realize that in the face of a national youth mental health crisis currently happening, “now is the time to act swiftly and decisively to protect children and adolescents from risk of harm.”

Don’t pin your hopes, though, that governments and technology companies will be able to act fast enough. There’s not much we can do to stem the barrage of harmful content at the moment, but we can always try. Raising awareness within our own circle of friends and communities is one way. Hopefully, this will keep the damage to a minimum.

Facebook and Twitter

We are actively using two social networking websites to reach out more often and even interact with and engage our readers, friends and colleagues in the various areas of interest that I tackle in my column. Please like us on www.facebook.com/ReyGamboa and follow us on www.twitter.com/ReyGamboa.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.