Phones, social media and kids: Experts weigh in
In June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms, which are so easily accessed by children on their phones. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
As parents and experts search for ways to understand and improve the mental health crisis that has gripped adolescents over the past few years, much of their attention has focused on smartphones and social media, two constants in the lives of children today.
While most mental health experts agree kids spend too much time on their phones and that they interfere with their sleep, it's unclear how much the devices are contributing to rising rates of depression and anxiety.
In June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms, which are so easily accessed by children on their phones.
“We don’t have enough evidence to say [social media is] safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” he said last year.
Researchers, however, have noted there are many other variables. Dr. Petros Levounis, chair of the department of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, cited the COVID-19 pandemic, divisive national politics and a teen's home life.
“How can one say this is actually due to an excessive use of social media?” he asked. “This is a social experiment and we’re not really going to know until further down the line.”
Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician and founder of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, studies how kids use social media, video games, artificial intelligence and other interactive media. He believes phones can create either positive or negative results or outcomes depending on how they are used. For example, he said bullying is amplified because social media and the digital ecosystem make kids feel “anonymous and invulnerable.”
On the other hand, social media can create a sense of community for LGBTQ+ kids who feel isolated.
Rich said parents can work with their kids to help them understand the importance of real friendships.
“We have traded away our deep and sustaining and meaningful connectedness with each other for this near-infinite connectivity,” Rich said. “And we lost a lot when 'friend' became a verb.”
Newsday spoke with three national mental health experts to break down the latest research on teens and social media, and to get their tips for parents who want their kids to cut back on screen time.
Researchers have said there is no direct evidence showing a cause-and-effect relationship between use of social media and these mental health conditions, especially among teens who constantly use their phone. But studies have found associations between social media use and negative mental health.
A 2019 study found that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media “may be at heightened risk for mental health problems, particularly internalizing problems.”
“There is a lot of research that shows that there's a relationship between depression and more social media use, but it doesn't really explain causality, meaning that there's really no proof that because you use more social media, you actually have more depression,” said Dr. Carol Vidal, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
All three experts interviewed agreed that cyberbullying is a serious problem and girls may be most at risk.
Rich said online bullying is almost three times more prevalent among females than males, and he likened it to "psychological warfare" among girls.
Levounis said the ease of propagating gossip or criticism of another person online is “unprecedented.”
“In some ways, it reminds me of the difference between having a semiautomatic gun and having a 19th century gun that can only shoot one person at a time,” he said.
Vidal said she worries about teens on social media being contacted by adults masquerading as other teens. Another concern is information teens may be consuming about substance abuse and eating disorders.
“When you go on TikTok and you search for eating disorders, it’s really bad what you can see,” she said.
A panel of sleep experts reviewed more than 500 studies and put out a statement this year saying that screen use, and the content of screen use before sleep, impair sleep health among children and adolescents.
That lack of sleep impacts a teen’s mood but also their academic performance, Vidal said.
“We see sleep deprivation with internet gaming, but it seems to be going hand in hand with social media,” Levounis said.
Experts said kids who spend too much time scrolling through their phones may be missing out on opportunities to be physically active.
Probably not. Levounis said only about 2% to 4% of kids actually meet the clinical criteria of addiction. He said some signs would be loss of control, grades dropping, and “frantic efforts to cut down and then continue use despite knowledge of adverse consequences.”
Many kids, however, have a hard time putting down their phones for any period of time because the platforms are built to reward people who are constantly connected, Vidal said.
“Their goal is to keep the user engaged the longest time possible,” she said.
In many cases, social media allows teens to be connected with each other, and that is critical, Rich said.
“One of the things that we discovered during the pandemic lockdown is that these environments became the equivalent of the basketball court or the playground where they hung out with their friends,” he said.
Levounis said for some groups of people, social media has been a “godsend.”
“There are LGBTQ+ youth growing up in highly homophobic environments,” he said. “In the past, they would erroneously feel that they’re the only gay people in the world. Enter social media. No matter where you grew up, you will find a kindred spirit and not feel like you are the only person in the world.”
“Model the behavior you want to see in your kids,” said Rich, author of “The Mediatrician’s Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World.”
“We’ve gotten into the bad habit of working 24-7,” he said. “Put your own devices away when you are with your kids as much as you possibly can.”
Rich also said “mentor” them with each new device application platform they download by working together to understand benefits and possible harms. It might be tricky to monitor their online activity while giving them privacy, but Rich said it can be done.
“The parent should assure the child they won’t betray their confidentiality and are not going to be prying but need their usernames and passwords,” he said.
Most kids will create profiles only their close friends can see and that they won’t want their parents to see — and that’s OK. “By and large, those are actually pretty healthy places,” Rich said. “It’s the more public places that they get in trouble.”
Vidal said families should set limits on the phones so they are used in a more mindful way.
For example, have meals without phones and activities like a movie night. Parents also should encourage teens to discuss any kind of upsetting content they might view on social media.
She also said kids should not go to sleep with their phones in their bedrooms.
“Buy a clock so there isn’t an excuse of having to use the alarm on the phone,” she said.
With her own kids, Vidal said, she tries to avoid screens before school because some kids check their phones as soon as they wake up.
“It’s a tool, just like TV was when it first came,” she said. “It’s a tool that can be used for good. How we moderate the use is kind of like the question of our times.”
As parents and experts search for ways to understand and improve the mental health crisis that has gripped adolescents over the past few years, much of their attention has focused on smartphones and social media, two constants in the lives of children today.
While most mental health experts agree kids spend too much time on their phones and that they interfere with their sleep, it's unclear how much the devices are contributing to rising rates of depression and anxiety.
In June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms, which are so easily accessed by children on their phones.
“We don’t have enough evidence to say [social media is] safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” he said last year.
Researchers, however, have noted there are many other variables. Dr. Petros Levounis, chair of the department of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, cited the COVID-19 pandemic, divisive national politics and a teen's home life.
“How can one say this is actually due to an excessive use of social media?” he asked. “This is a social experiment and we’re not really going to know until further down the line.”
Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician and founder of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, studies how kids use social media, video games, artificial intelligence and other interactive media. He believes phones can create either positive or negative results or outcomes depending on how they are used. For example, he said bullying is amplified because social media and the digital ecosystem make kids feel “anonymous and invulnerable.”
On the other hand, social media can create a sense of community for LGBTQ+ kids who feel isolated.
Rich said parents can work with their kids to help them understand the importance of real friendships.
“We have traded away our deep and sustaining and meaningful connectedness with each other for this near-infinite connectivity,” Rich said. “And we lost a lot when 'friend' became a verb.”
Newsday spoke with three national mental health experts to break down the latest research on teens and social media, and to get their tips for parents who want their kids to cut back on screen time.
Does constant use of a smartphone and exposure to social media cause depression and anxiety in teens?
Researchers have said there is no direct evidence showing a cause-and-effect relationship between use of social media and these mental health conditions, especially among teens who constantly use their phone. But studies have found associations between social media use and negative mental health.
A 2019 study found that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media “may be at heightened risk for mental health problems, particularly internalizing problems.”
“There is a lot of research that shows that there's a relationship between depression and more social media use, but it doesn't really explain causality, meaning that there's really no proof that because you use more social media, you actually have more depression,” said Dr. Carol Vidal, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
What are some of the harms associated with social media?
All three experts interviewed agreed that cyberbullying is a serious problem and girls may be most at risk.
Rich said online bullying is almost three times more prevalent among females than males, and he likened it to "psychological warfare" among girls.
Levounis said the ease of propagating gossip or criticism of another person online is “unprecedented.”
“In some ways, it reminds me of the difference between having a semiautomatic gun and having a 19th century gun that can only shoot one person at a time,” he said.
Vidal said she worries about teens on social media being contacted by adults masquerading as other teens. Another concern is information teens may be consuming about substance abuse and eating disorders.
“When you go on TikTok and you search for eating disorders, it’s really bad what you can see,” she said.
What is known about the physical impact of phones and social media on teens?
A panel of sleep experts reviewed more than 500 studies and put out a statement this year saying that screen use, and the content of screen use before sleep, impair sleep health among children and adolescents.
That lack of sleep impacts a teen’s mood but also their academic performance, Vidal said.
“We see sleep deprivation with internet gaming, but it seems to be going hand in hand with social media,” Levounis said.
Experts said kids who spend too much time scrolling through their phones may be missing out on opportunities to be physically active.
Is my teen addicted to their smartphone and social media?
Probably not. Levounis said only about 2% to 4% of kids actually meet the clinical criteria of addiction. He said some signs would be loss of control, grades dropping, and “frantic efforts to cut down and then continue use despite knowledge of adverse consequences.”
Many kids, however, have a hard time putting down their phones for any period of time because the platforms are built to reward people who are constantly connected, Vidal said.
“Their goal is to keep the user engaged the longest time possible,” she said.
Is there any benefit to using social media?
In many cases, social media allows teens to be connected with each other, and that is critical, Rich said.
“One of the things that we discovered during the pandemic lockdown is that these environments became the equivalent of the basketball court or the playground where they hung out with their friends,” he said.
Levounis said for some groups of people, social media has been a “godsend.”
“There are LGBTQ+ youth growing up in highly homophobic environments,” he said. “In the past, they would erroneously feel that they’re the only gay people in the world. Enter social media. No matter where you grew up, you will find a kindred spirit and not feel like you are the only person in the world.”
What can parents do to help their kids cut down on screen time?
“Model the behavior you want to see in your kids,” said Rich, author of “The Mediatrician’s Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World.”
“We’ve gotten into the bad habit of working 24-7,” he said. “Put your own devices away when you are with your kids as much as you possibly can.”
Rich also said “mentor” them with each new device application platform they download by working together to understand benefits and possible harms. It might be tricky to monitor their online activity while giving them privacy, but Rich said it can be done.
“The parent should assure the child they won’t betray their confidentiality and are not going to be prying but need their usernames and passwords,” he said.
Most kids will create profiles only their close friends can see and that they won’t want their parents to see — and that’s OK. “By and large, those are actually pretty healthy places,” Rich said. “It’s the more public places that they get in trouble.”
Vidal said families should set limits on the phones so they are used in a more mindful way.
For example, have meals without phones and activities like a movie night. Parents also should encourage teens to discuss any kind of upsetting content they might view on social media.
She also said kids should not go to sleep with their phones in their bedrooms.
“Buy a clock so there isn’t an excuse of having to use the alarm on the phone,” she said.
With her own kids, Vidal said, she tries to avoid screens before school because some kids check their phones as soon as they wake up.
“It’s a tool, just like TV was when it first came,” she said. “It’s a tool that can be used for good. How we moderate the use is kind of like the question of our times.”
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
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