Research: Facebook and Twitter harm young people's mental health

[Deleted]

Four of the five most popular forms of social media harm young people’s mental health, with Instagram the most damaging, according to research by two health organisations.

Poll of 14- to 24-year-olds shows Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter increased feelings of inadequacy and anxiety
The survey, published on Friday, concluded that Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter are also harmful. Among the five only YouTube was judged to have a positive impact.

Instagram has the most negative impact on young people’s mental wellbeing, a survey of almost 1,500 14- to 24-year-olds found, and the health groups accused it of deepening young people’s feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.
The four platforms have a negative effect because they can exacerbate children’s and young people’s body image worries, and worsen bullying, sleep problems and feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness, the participants said.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/....1495185373735

Interesting, but not very surprising imo.
What are your views on this?

[Ryme]

I don't want regulated internet, but I do wholeheartedly agree that we need something in place for younger generations to either limit their time or exposure to certain areas.

Unfortunately, I'm useless beyond that because I have no idea how that could possibly be achievable.

[Dalheim]

I think such sites should just be closed down and be illegal.. We managed prior to those sites and we'll manage without it. It's just pure garbage.

[Independent voter]

Parents need to keep kids away from social media if true.

[Deleted]

Parents need to keep kids away from social media if true.

I have a niece that's 16 and she can't even act like a social human being anymore around others.
She's just glued to the screen of her smartphone all day, checking Facebook and Instagram non-stop for updates and posting selfies of herself or pictures of her food.

It's disheartening to see...

[Independent voter]

I have a nice that's 16 and she can't even act like a social human being anymore around others.
She's just glued to the screen of her smartphone all day, checking Facebook and Instagram non-stop for updates and posting selfies of herself or pictures of her food.

It's disheartening to see...

Yeah, trying to pry the phone out of the hands of a 16 year old girl you're in for a fight.

What some families have done over here is have "tech free" times where you set aside a day or a couple hours a day were you can't use technology like phones, gaming consoles, computers, etc. Might want to have a board game or something handy so that people don't sit around staring at each other.

[Freighter]

I have a niece that's 16 and she can't even act like a social human being anymore around others.
She's just glued to the screen of her smartphone all day, checking Facebook and Instagram non-stop for updates and posting selfies of herself or pictures of her food.

It's disheartening to see...

It's not just teens who are glued to their phones all day.

[Deleted]

It's not just teens who are glued to their phones all day.

True, but you see fewer people being as addicted to them in higher age groups.

And in the end, it's all about the person guess.
I once had some people in their early 20's over for a tour of the company. Most only had interest in their phones, one didn't and now works here.

[draynay]

Social media is just the substitute for actual social interaction which would have the same results.

[PosPosPos]

I think such sites should just be closed down and be illegal.. We managed prior to those sites and we'll manage without it. It's just pure garbage.

We managed without freedom of will, without scientific advances living in a cave.

Outlawing slavery and making scientific progress is just pure garbage.

[Thoughtful Trolli]

Don't they have that one picture, where they show a bunch of fuckers way back in 1910, and all of them were fucking glued to newspapers?

It's absolutely healthy for them Honestly. When they put down the phones, they're nicer to each other than someone who's had a lot of social interactions is to someone they've received negative encounters with. (I.E. Less racist.)

[Mormolyce]

Don't even need to see the study, I instantly believe it.

[Deleted]

Yeah but what do you do about it? Require government licensed ID to sign up and ban people under 21 from those sites?

[Rudkobing]

I've wondered about this for a while. Of course, it might be just coincidence.

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

I think such sites should just be closed down and be illegal.. We managed prior to those sites and we'll manage without it. It's just pure garbage.

Twitter, Instagram, and facebook are great ways to advertise for free. They're fine and people who don't like them can just choose not to use them.

[Allatar]

This seems appropriate, somehow:

[Lazuli]

Social media is just the substitute for actual social interaction which would have the same results.

Social media has anonymity which brings all of the cancer of the web and is definitely not healthy psychologically for children.

[Revi]

This seems appropriate, somehow:

That is actually a group of students that have just finished admiring the artwork and receiving a lecture on the Rembrandt and are now using the museum guided tour app to learn more.

It's gotten passed around too much for people to know, but the people who were actually there have tried to set the record straight. The truth wasn't interesting enough to go viral, unfortunately.

[Puupi]

If I had a child, s/he would not be getting a smart phone.

[Sinyc]

I don't want regulated internet, but I do wholeheartedly agree that we need something in place for younger generations to either limit their time or exposure to certain areas.

Unfortunately, I'm useless beyond that because I have no idea how that could possibly be achievable.

You could start by teaching children how the world really works from a young age and not shelter them. You could start by teaching kids that people lie on the Internet. You could start by teaching children to only worry about themselves and to not get obsessed with others, this would harm "celebrities" but who cares.. I could go on for ages. When you parent by putting an iPad in a 5 year olds hands to make them behave you foster the kind of behavior and nonsense we see today, at least in America.