The US surgeon general, Dr Vivek H. Murthy, issued a public advisory on Tuesday warning of the risks of social media use to young people. In a 19-page report, Dr Murthy noted that although the effects of social media on adolescent mental health were not fully understood, and that social media can be beneficial to some users, “there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents”.

The surgeon general called on policymakers, tech companies, researchers and parents to “urgently take action” to safeguard against the potential risks.

Why It Matters: Young brains are particularly susceptible to social media.“Adolescents are not just smaller adults,” Dr Murthy said in an interview with The New York Times about the advisory. “They’re in a different phase of development, and they’re in a critical phase of brain development.”

The report noted that “frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behaviour) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behaviour), and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments.”

The report also cited research indicating that up to 95 per cent of teens reported using at least one social media platform, while more than one-third said they used social media “almost constantly.” In addition, nearly 40 per cent of children ages 8 to 12 use social media.

Researchers have been struggling to understand the impact of social media use on teen mental health. The data was not straightforward and indicated that the effects can be both positive and negative.

New York Times News Service