6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS SOCIAL MEDIA JUNE 27, 2025 Youth social media use causing increase in mental health crises Mental health crises is a topic of discussion across communities — urban and rural. For more than a generation, mental health professionals and health-care providers have been urging younger and older Americans to seek help for their mental health needs. Social critics in print and broadcast media warned the nation about the benefits and risks of technological innovations such as “smartphones.” In my conversations with two college-aged students, Adara and Vic, they noted that the iPhone founder, Steve Jobs, knew that his smartphones are addictive and would not let his children use them for fear of the mental health consequences. Google’s AI provides the following overview of social media use and mental health crisis: “Social media use among children and adolescents has dramatically evolved with a significant increase in both access and frequency of use, particularly with the rise of smartphones. While social media can offer benefits like staying connected, it also presents potential risks, including cyberbullying, privacy concerns and negative impacts on mental health.” Research findings During the Aspen Ideas Festival of 2024, a key session was organized called, “Teens and Screens: the Unabating Scourge of Social Media.” There were five speakers. The set up for the presentation was profound and shocking. It said, “American teenagers are facing a mental health crisis. 1 in 3 teen girls say they’ve considered suicide in the past year. Many young people, parents and mental health professionals point WILL SHAKESPEARE Groundcover vendor No. 258 to social media as a main culprit. What does science say and what actions are being taken on the legal and regulatory front? And how can you protect your kids’ emotional well-being?” On April 14, 2023, Pew Research Center released a report titled, “Teens and Social Media: Key findings from Pew Research Center Surveys.” The results were: • The majority of teens report using Youtube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. • TikTok use is more common among Black teens and teen girls. • The majority of teens use Youtube and TikTok every day and some report using these sites almost constantly. • More than half of teens say it would be difficult for them to give up social media. • Teens are more likely to say social media has had negative effects on others than themselves. • Teens are more likely to report positive than negative experiences in their social media use. • When it comes to abuse on social media platforms, many teens think criminal charges or permanent bans would help a lot. • Some teens — especially older girls — avoid posting certain things on social media because of fear of embarrassment or other reasons. • Many teens do not feel like they are in the driver’s seat when it comes to controlling what information social media companies collect about them. • Only around one in five teens think their parents are highly worried about their use of social media. • Nearly half of parents with teens (46%) are highly worried that their child could be exposed to explicit content on social media. Finally, the 2024 Pew Research Center Survey of Parents and Teens (13-17) show that 55% of parents were extremely or very concerned about the mental health of teens while 35% of teenagers say that they were extremely or very concerned about their own mental health. Conversely, 11% of parents and 23% of teens say that they were not too/not at all concerned about teen mental health. The percent of U.S. teens who say that social media had negative effects on people their age was 48%; the percentage who say social media had positive effects was 11%. We encourage our readers to view detailed information on this research report by Emily A. Vogel and Risa Gelles-Watnick of Pew Research Center. Also, the Annie E. Casey Foundation points to the scientific evidence revealed in the 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report titled, “Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory.” The key takeaways from the report, according to the Casey Foundation are: • Teenagers’ use of social media is widespread and pervasive. • Social media use can benefit teens, but it can also be detrimental to a young user’s health, leading to tech addiction, sleep deficits, increased levels of stress and more. • Social norms and expectations, a fear of missing out, and a desire to connect with friends are some of the factors fueling social media among teens. • Families, tech companies, policy makers and others must work together to create a safer and healthier social media environment for young people. Proposed solutions Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s first advisory on loneliness and American mental health, see SOCIAL MEDIA page 11
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