Last week, the American Psychological Association released a health advisory on social media use in adolescence. The report lays out 10 recommendations based on current evidence in psychological science and related disciplines. This is an important and useful document for parents, educators, health practitioners, policymakers, and tech companies—really, anyone with a stake in supporting teens’ well-being.
I’ve collaborated with several of the members of the advisory panel that drafted the report, including Linda Charmaraman, Sophia Choukas-Bradley, Jacqueline Nesi, and Lucia Magis-Weinberg (a fellow faculty member at the University of Washington). I can attest that they know what they’re talking about!
Key Ideas
I’ve pulled out 5 key ideas from the report that particularly resonated with me and that align with the core arguments in Technology’s Child.
(1) A one-size-fits-all approach to teens and social media doesn’t work
There are simply too many factors at play to make a singular claim about social media’s impact on teens. Teens display enormous variation when it comes to how they use social media, the strengths and vulnerabilities they bring to their social media use, and the broader contexts surrounding their social media experiences. We must pay attention to these differences if we want to understand social media’s role in a specific teen’s life and identify supports that fit their individual circumstances.
(2) Pay attention to how teens develop
Compared to adults, teens—particularly young teens—are especially sensitive to the feedback (both positive and negative) they receive on social media. They’re also less skilled at controlling in-the-moment impulses and considering long-term consequences. These developmental considerations have implications for the way social media is designed for teens and the kinds of support that teens are most likely to need (see key idea #5).
It’s also important to note that, although there are predictable developmental progressions and age-based similarities across adolescence, no two teens develop at exactly the same rate or in precisely the same way (revealing, again, that a one-size-fits-all approach to teens and social media doesn’t work).
(3) Pay attention to how social media is designed
I was pleased to see that the report addresses the intersection between adolescent development and social media design. The authors observe that features such as the “like” button and infinite scrolling may be particularly challenging for teens who have a heightened sensitivity to social feedback and are still developing their self-regulation skills (see key idea #2).
They also urge tech companies to minimize adolescents’ exposure to psychologically maladaptive behaviors (e.g., self-harm, eating-disordered behavior), for instance, by adjusting the platform’s algorithms and creating reporting structures to easily identify and remove harmful content.
(4) It’s not all bad
The report doesn’t gloss over the very real risks associated with adolescents’ social media use, but it does make space for research showing that many teens have positive experiences on social media platforms. Social media can be an important source of social support, online companionship, and emotional intimacy. These experiences may be particularly valuable for teens with symptoms of mental illness and members of marginalized groups (though both groups may also be at increased risk for the negative aspects of social media).
(5) Support comes in many forms
Teens need support to amplify the benefits and minimize the risks associated with social media. This support can and should come in a variety of forms and from a variety of sources:
- Routine screening: Teens should receive routine screening for “problematic social media use” that gets in the way of their daily roles and routines.
- Education: Teens should be exposed to social media literacy training so they can learn things like how to identify and address problematic social media use, how to refrain from excessive social comparison, and how to safely communicate about mental health online.
- Caregiver involvement: Research suggests that the best kind of support is a combination of limit setting and adult-child conversations and coaching.
- Tech companies: When designing features for teen accounts, tech companies should tailor their features to the social and cognitive abilities and vulnerabilities of adolescents.
