No doubt that there are two sides of every coin. Similarly, there are some pros and cons of social media as well. Although there are some benefits of social media such as it helps to connect friends and provides a stage to show the creativity of youngsters etc. but it is likely to cause more harm than good among youths as per various reports and surveys. Almost 95% of young people in the USA are using social media constantly. Such longer hours of using social media are one of the main causes of mental health problems.
Bad Effects of Social Media Platforms on US Youth
Adolescence is a very critical stage of life where our mind grows and develops rapidly. So, it affects the mind and body of the 13-17 years old young people more in America. To stop the mental crises among American youth. Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy has issued a surgeon general advisory on social media and youth Mental health intending to maximize its benefits and minimise its harmful effects. The Advisory creates awareness and seeks the attention of the public at large towards mental health challenges to make a distress-free environment.
Excessive use of various social media platforms results in low self-esteem, status comparison, poor sleep quality, sleep difficulty and body dissatisfaction among growing youths. He issued recommendations in the advisory that should be followed by technology companies, social media platforms, Schools, Governments, organizations, Researchers, families, society, policymakers and young people to improve mental health issues, especially among teenagers in the USA.
Surveys Relating to Youth Mental Health in the USA
Young people came across various types of content on social media such as violent, sexual, related to harassment, molestation, bullying and other types of hate content etc. that drive them towards depression and anxiety. It is shown Research that using the phone for more than 3 hours fasten the risk of serious mental health issues. It is proved in 2019 surveys that every one out of three school-going students is suffering from hopelessness and sadness and the rate is increased up to 40% now. The outbreak of covid has increased the rates of psychological distress among Americans.
As per a 2021 survey, American teenagers spend 3.5 hours on social media every day. it is extremely difficult for 11- 15 years old to spend a day without social media because they are addicted to it. Approximately 46% of adolescents feel worst after using social media regularly.
Important Guidelines of Dr Vivek Murthy’s New Advisory
Dr Vivek Murthy mentioned in the advisory that mental Health is an inseparable part of overall Health. An individual cannot be physically fit unless he is fit mentally. He recommended that we should learn from difficult emotions and try to balance and manage them. Those who are already suffering from psychological problems should be given affordable, effective and quality mental health care facilities. There is a need to recognize and eliminate the social and economic factors that are contributing to poor mental Health, we should collect data through surveys and reports to help the mentally ill youths and other people more rapidly. Mental health issues can be overcome by understanding the true relationship between mental health and social media platforms timely.
We all should immediately support the youth’s mental health of youth in educational institutions, communities and childcare settings. Other than that, Children must minimize their on-screen time and report every negative content they came across while scrolling, Parents should try to build tech-free surroundings in the house, keep an eye on their digital life and make them understand the bad consequences of social media, the personal information of teenagers should be kept securely by technological companies and policymakers once they logged in.
Also Read: