Is social media bad for teens? So far, the evidence suggests only a single serious negative impact:
Depressed girls who start using social media 5-6 hours a day are likely to become even more depressed.
As a single bit of survey evidence, there's also the internal Instagram study showing that Instagram had a positive effect on almost everything but a negative effect on girls' body image. Aside from this, as Claire Cain Miller says in the New York Times today:
Reviews of the existing studies on social media use and adolescents’ mental health have found the bulk of them to be “weak,” “inconsistent,” “inconclusive,” “a bag of mixed findings” and “weighed down by a lack of quality” and “conflicting evidence.”
Despite this, I admit that my inclination is to believe social media has a net unhealthy influence on teens. This is because: so many platforms use toxic targeting algorithms that prioritize outrage; screen time in general is too high; spiraling FOMO is addictive and anxiety inducing; and quick written messages tend to be nastier and more virulent than in-person conversation.
But I have no evidence for this, and much of it is probably because I'm 64 years old and hardly ever use social media. People like me—and we're the ones who most often disparage social media—are probably the least likely ones to have an informed opinion.
Of course, not all social media experience is the same. Mastodon has none of the hate-speech and trolling that Twitter does. Much of TikTok exists just to make you laugh.
If you're on Instagram, Twitter, or Meta, you're already on the event horizon of a wormhole of shit.
Such as it is, it's very easy to get sucked into that wormhole of shit, especially when you're a teen, or bored, or a reactionary, or think you have to defeat every single troll on the internet because you're awesome.
But I am awesome, so there's that. Someone on Facebook told me so.
It’s basic product liability. These products are defective. They can cause death or injury.
Fourteen-year-old Adriana Kuch of Bayville, N.J., was found dead at home on Feb. 3, days after she was attacked in the hallway of her high school. The attack was recorded and later uploaded to TikTok, prompting a slew of nasty comments toward the teenager.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Local gangs are no longer just clashing in the streets. Louisville Metro Police and former gang members believe a lot feuds are starting on social media.
Interpol - “Terrorists use social media for radicalization, recruitment, funding, planning and execution of terror activities.”
Other than that, it’s great!
Product liability. Just because I can use a product and not have it kill me, doesn’t mean it’s safe for people like you!
"Despite this, I admit that my inclination is to believe social media has a net unhealthy influence on teens. This is because: so many platforms use toxic targeting algorithms that prioritize outrage; screen time in general is too high; spiraling FOMO is addictive and anxiety inducing; and quick written messages tend to be nastier and more virulent than in-person conversation."
Now just take out the phrase "on teens" and you're just about right. Now add in that many are removing their bans on vaccine misinformation and spreading The Big Lie and the situation starts to look even more dire for us as people and our democracy. And we're letting it happen. Get off Twitter, get of FaceBook, they are poisoning our lives.
Kevin, when you and I were teens the older generation was convinced that excessive TV watching caused brain rot. My brain seems to be unrotted, but then I was never a big TV watcher. Instead, I had another diversion that an even earlier generation had condemned as unhealthy; I read books.
The kids are all right.
Capitalism, responsible for introducing social media platforms that use toxic targeting algorithms that prioritize outrage, is bad for teens and peace advocates.