On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the Big Apple will become the first city to officially classify social media as a public health risk. In his speech, Adams described social media as an “environmental toxin” and compared the problem to guns and cigarettes. The mayor then quickly — and elsewhere — spoke about it on social media. But unlike guns and cigarettes, widespread beliefs about the mental health risks of social media aren’t necessarily backed by science, a fact you can read about in New York City’s own advisory on the issue. .
“We will not allow Big Tech to put our children at risk,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in his State of the State address. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are “fueling the mental health crisis by designing platforms with addictive and dangerous features.”
For years, experts, advocates, and even employees of social media companies have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of the platforms that dominate our culture. For example, in 2021, Internal documents leaked from Facebook The company’s staff were seen calling for action on mental health issues among teenage girls. Employees arenegative spiral” on Instagram, this post, among other disasters, has driven children to developing eating disorders. (You can read these documents yourself from Gizmodo’s site) Facebook paper project).
Mental health issues are prevalent among children and adults in the United States, and New York City is no exception. New York City’s social media health advisory states: “Between 2011 and 2021, the rate of New York City high school students experiencing hopelessness increased by more than 42%, and the rate of suicidal ideation increased by more than 34%.” has been done. “According to the latest data from 2021, 38% of New York City high school students have felt so sad or hopeless in the past year that they have stopped participating in regular activities.” Especially disproportionately affecting young people who identify as women or LGBTQ+.
There is a clear correlation between the rise of social media and America’s mental health crisis. In the 2023 survey, more than half American teens spend almost 5 hours a day on social media, for example. But if you’ve heard this story before, stop. Correlation is not causation.
New York state public health recommendations follow similar lines. Statement from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy In May 2023, the country’s top doctor warned that “there are ample indications that social media can also cause serious harm to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.” However, you might note the phrase “sufficient indicators” in this description, which is worth some thought.
The truth about social media’s effects on our bodies and minds is complex, as is often the case with most troubling issues. Without a doubt, social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X/Twitter are having a significant negative impact on our world. These platforms are responsible for spreading hate speech, turning conspiracy theories and misinformation into full-blown social crises, fueling terrorism and drug cartels, and an ever-growing list of other horrors. The companies that run these sites are well aware of these issues and feel that this whole thing is terrible and that if you just wait it will get better soon, unless you are concerned about your health. I promise you by God. , you might not want to hold your breath.
If you scroll down, you’ll see that the comment section misinterprets this as an apology for social media issues. It doesn’t matter. The point is that we don’t really have a definitive idea about the impact of social media specifically on mental health, which is something that the New York and U.S. governments have made clear in their warnings about the technology. This is what I admit.
buried Surgeon General’s warning The memo on social media is that what we really need is “more research” and that there is a lot of evidence that social media has some effect. positive Impact on mental health. In recent research, Social media detox didn’t improve mental health In an experiment where participants were asked to remain offline. 2022 pew research survey We found that almost 59% of teens report that using social media makes them feel accepted. Her 2020 study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health’s Center for Health and Well-Being found a positive association between social media use and mental health and well-being. The list of such studies by very serious and sharp-minded experts is endless.
But the Surgeon General says we should pretend there is evidence that social media has a negative impact on mental health, even if that’s not the case. “While social media may have benefits for some children and young people, there is currently not enough evidence yet to determine whether social media is sufficiently safe for children and young people,” the Surgeon General said. I’m warning you. The exact opposite can be said and is equally true. There is also not enough evidence to determine whether social media is dangerous to children’s mental health. Our public health officials seem to be making decisions based on the atmosphere.
New York City and the Surgeon General are right to point out the potential risks of social media, and parents should be aware of them. Regulators may want to drag big tech executives to justice and hold them accountable for what we know to be true. But before we truly understand what’s going on in the medical sector, do we need doctors to join them?
Mayor Adams wrote:on social media—It’s “just like the United States in the past.” [Surgeons General] As with tobacco and guns, we are treating social media like any other public health hazard and ensuring that technology companies are held accountable. ”
We do know that tobacco causes cancer. If you want to avoid painful and unnecessary deaths, you shouldn’t smoke. The same cannot be said for social media.
