The United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, has a new warning about social media and its profound risk of harm to children.
Research shows 95% of teens and 40% of kids ages 8-12 use social media.
Murthy said it can impact mental health, calling for more safeguards, transparency, and regulations.
Other mental health experts agree.
“It allows our policymakers and our legislators the opportunity to take these factors into account when they are presented with laws or making decisions surrounding social media use,” said Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
Studies have found that social media is linked to depression and anxiety, often caused by cyberbullying.
Experts recommend parents limit children’s social media time to less than two hours a day.
They also encourage parents to be aware of every app on their kids’ phones.
“It might be some great opportunity to spend quality time together practicing those apps. But there are apps out there that disguise themselves to hide other things so you want to know how every app works,” said Katzenstein.
