In recent years, there has been growing concern that long-term social media use may be damaging to young people's mental health. But are these fears scientifically based? And if so, how should we address them? Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy recently proposed that social media should come with cigarette-like warning labels. Schools, state and local governments, and even young people themselves have different ideas. The Post's Amanda Ripley, Theodore Johnson and Molly Roberts debate in the latest episode of the “Impromptu” podcast.
To listen to the entire conversation, use the audio player or The Post's “Impromptu” podcast feed.
Theodore Johnson: I think this is a bit like the warning labels that started appearing on cassettes and CDs in the '80s and '90s, letting parents know, “This cassette contains some bad language and some adult scenes.” But that's not the only thing parents should be worried about. It's when the app starts changing the way their kids behave and think, and parents are powerless to fight back.
Amanda Ripley: I remember when those clear warnings came out, and I feel like they made the music more, not less, fascinating.
Follow this authorAmanda Ripley's opinion
Johnson: Yes! I would never have bought the NWA or 2 Live Crew tapes if they didn't have stickers.
Ripley: What do you think, Molly? Is there any reason to be worried?
Molly Roberts: Well, I think there's reason to be concerned, and I think it's certainly exaggerated.
From a scientific perspective, there is no clear causal relationship between social media and the mental health issues people are concerned about. We can see that certain types of social media use are bad for certain types of people. But I don't think it's helpful for anyone to generalize at this point.
Let's say you're an LGBTQ+ kid growing up in a less-than-supportive home. You go on social media and meet people like you, which is a good thing. On the other hand, let's say you're already struggling with your body image, you go on Instagram, see a ton of photos of models in bikinis, and start feeling even worse about yourself.
In many ways, the biggest predictor of what happens to people online appears to be what happens to them offline, so there is some risk in placing too much emphasis on their online lives and not addressing the offline causes.
You can listen to the full conversation here:
