U.S. Surgeon General: Social media use among kids, teens poses mental health risk
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory Tuesday, saying social media use among kids and teens poses a significant mental health risk that needs attention right away.
The advisory states there is now substantial evidence that social media time can lead to “heightened emotional sensitivity," as well as lower life satisfaction.
The advisory is getting a lot of support from parents. Those who are part of a movement called “conscious parenting” support the idea that the risk of social media to a child’s mental health is significant and needs immediate attention.
It’s one of the reasons Kara Nolan takes her children, Miles and Adeline, to the bookstore on a regular basis. She said less social media time is part of the “conscious parenting” movement that she supports.
“It’s kind of how my husband and I have always thought of raising our children,” Nolan said.
There are a lot of steps to conscious parenting, but as for the overall concept:
“I think it’s just being engaged on a daily basis,” Nolan said. That means more time with personal interaction and less time on social media.
Kimberly Moore, Dean of Students at Miami University, said she started writing articles about conscious parenting when she noticed kids weren’t prepared to be independent when they started college.
“Post pandemic we hear a lot about learning loss, but we don’t hear a lot about development in our children, and their ability to transition to adulthood successfully,” Moore said.
Moore’s number one way to change that – more time with human interaction and less time on social media.
“For instance, when we travel with the kids, they don’t have screens. We sit and we talk, whether it’s a nine-hour drive or a four-hour drive. We are very conscious about how much screen time they get, and we are very conscious about no social media at this stage,” Moore said.
The advisory from the Surgeon General stresses there are benefits to social media. For example, kids on it felt more accepted, supported in tough times and more connected. So, it’s about limiting screen time and making sure content is age-appropriate, rather than avoiding it all together.
