“Cigarettes and social media, it is now becoming clear, have quite a bit in common” (‘Injurious to health’, IE, December 6). Social media is not at all like cigarettes. It is more like the atomic bomb — the effects are quick, widespread and far-reaching.
Let me share some statistics: The number of social media identities created in the last year is 256 million. That is the population of Russia, Germany and the UK combined. Even with multiple identities per person, social media use is spreading at an alarming rate in a world where 32 per cent of the population is 12-27 years old.
According to the Digital 2024 October Global Statshot Report, 43 per cent of users aged 16-24 use social media to “fill up spare time” (the top reason is friends and family at 48 per cent); 54 per cent of teens say they find it very difficult to switch off from social media.
Social media doesn’t affect just the body, it has long-term effects on the brain, behaviour and cognitive patterns. Published data indicate a different mode of processing emotions in adolescents, which is highly correlated with the intensity of social media use. This has been shown in the grey matter volume of the amygdala, which processes emotions.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The human brain is designed to closely interact with 50-150 people, but social media connections change this order of magnitude. The impact this cognitive overload can have on the brain remains to be seen.
“But the young will adapt.” One could argue that humans will adapt, but given how much we still rely on our reptilian brain despite millennia of existence, that is a distant possibility.
Several challenges in raising teens today seem to have their roots in the use of social media — whether it is a lower ability to interact with people of different ages in real life, handling peer pressure or regulating emotions.
In her book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, Sherry Turkle looks at interviews with teenagers and adults who were heavy users of social media and other kinds of virtual environments. One of the conclusions of this study was that extreme use of social media and virtual reality environments can lead to an increased risk of anxiety, fewer real social interactions, lack of social skills and human empathy, and difficulties in handling solitude. In all of this, the lack of empathy worries me the most. It affects not just the individual, but who we are as a society.
So, we are past the stage of half measures and warning labels.
The Australian Parliament’s law banning social media for children below 16 years of age may be one of the strictest social media crackdowns in the world. But, there has to be a more nuanced, comprehensive and sensitive plan to deal with what is now a global addiction. Behaviour change studies will show that a single measure is rarely successful in supporting large-scale changes. It needs a multi-pronged approach. Here are some options to consider:
One, nuanced rules around the age for use of social media with smart enforcement mechanisms. For instance, messaging services that have a wide use for direct communication should be treated differently than photo and video streaming services which are more likely being used to “fill up spare time” with endless scrolling, in terms of age of use and time spent on the site. Perhaps a different algorithm for feeds for those under 18, a limit on endless scrolls for younger ages, or auto cut-offs for certain times during the day would help balance the extent of use.
Two, providing alternatives for spare time for children and young adults — telling a child what to do is far more effective than telling them what not to do. This, of course, demands so much more from parents — from being more involved in the lives of the children, to actively providing other opportunities. And I have to admit, it comes from a place of privilege.
Three, childcare support for families, for the reasons above. Better quality affordable childcare will allow parents to spend more quality time to address the emotional concerns of their children.
Four, involving schools and educational institutions in mental health and addiction support. If 54 per cent of teens find it hard to stop using social media, they have at least tried. At a cohort level, educational institutes might be better placed to support a collective change in behaviour and more immediate support for mental health problems.
The writer is a strategy consultant and parent