US Teens Use SNS 3.5 Hours Daily on Average
Half of Adolescents Say "SNS Makes Me Feel Bad"
Serious Issues with Exposure to Harmful Content
"Some social networking service (SNS) platforms show self-harm behaviors such as suffocation, seizures, amputation, and bleeding in real time. Simply viewing harmful content can normalize and encourage suicide and self-harm behaviors (Discussing or showing this content can normalize such behaviors)."
This is a key point from a 25-page public health advisory released on the 24th (local time) by Vivek Murthy, Director and Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). The advisory titled 'SNS and Youth Mental Health' emphasizes the dangers of SNS, stating that "since most American teenagers appear to be addicted to SNS, urgent measures are needed."
According to the report, experimental results show that children and adolescents who use SNS for more than three hours a day have twice the risk of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It also confirmed that SNS use causes sleep disorders by reducing the quality and duration of sleep. A concerning point is that American teenagers use SNS for an average of 3.5 hours per day. This essentially means that the risk of depression among American youth has more than doubled compared to before the emergence of SNS. The report also introduced research findings that SNS has caused over 300,000 cases of depression.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said, "There is sufficient evidence that SNS can cause serious harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents," adding, "The mental health of minors nationwide is in crisis. SNS is seen as a major cause."
Actual children and adolescents also reported feeling negative emotions due to SNS use. A survey on the physical impact of SNS found that nearly half (46%) of teenagers aged 13 to 17 said "they feel worse." Only 14% responded that "they feel better." Especially among teenage girls, SNS was reported to cause dissatisfaction with their bodies, disordered eating habits, comparisons with others, and low self-esteem.
The issue of harmful content was also serious. Two out of three teenagers (64%) said they are "often" or "sometimes" exposed to hateful content through SNS. Harmful content such as eating disorders, violence, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and discussions of suicide and suicide methods are widespread. The PHSCC judged that broadcasting suicide and self-harm in real time encourages the death of children.
Is there no way to reduce the harm of SNS? The report introduced research findings that limiting SNS use significantly improves the risk of depression. In an experiment randomly selecting college-aged adults and reducing their SNS use from three hours to 30 minutes per day for three weeks, the severity of depression improved considerably. Especially among those with severe depression, the degree of sadness improved by more than 35%. Another similar experiment conducted on adults for four weeks showed that subjective happiness increased by as little as 25% and as much as nearly 40% compared to before.
The U.S. health authorities recommended that not only parents and children but also policymakers and SNS companies jointly seek solutions. First, at home, they suggested establishing a 'family media plan' to limit SNS usage time and accessible content under mutual agreement among family members. They also urged operating 'tech-free zones' to restrict SNS usage spaces and strengthen face-to-face relationships with children. For policymakers, they called for strengthening SNS safety standards and establishing mechanisms to restrict minors' access to harmful content. They also recommended that SNS companies strengthen child safety and protection standards and raise minimum age restrictions.
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