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risk of depression
The graphic to the left shows the relative risk of being unhappy related to time spent in different activities (in 10th graders). The results are profound: time spent in sport, religion, work, in-person socializing and even homework were all associated with less unhappiness. In contrast, digital/screen activities were related to increased risk for unhappiness.
Yes, it is an addiction
Webster's simple definition of addiction makes it easy to define digital media use as an addiction: a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble).
More than that, however, we know that dopamine responses in the brain in response to media use and withdrawal are remarkably similar to substance addictions. Here's an interesting article on how digital media has turned us into dopamine junkies.
We recommend the fascinating book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter.
parent guidelines to consider
From the American Academic of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Friending or following your child's social media accounts with an agreement about whether you will or won't post or respond to their posts
- "No screen" times such as "no screens at the dinner table," "no screens in bedrooms" after a certain time of day, or "no social media use until homework is done"
- Ensuring that privacy settings are turned on to limit access to personal information
- Instructing kids not to share full names, addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, passwords, and bank or credit card numbers
- having location enabled services turned "off"
- Exploring apps which limit internet access to age appropriate sites.
It's not going away
We know that social media is here to stay, so we need to consider tactics that don't rely on restriction alone. One such tactic is "Disrupt the Feed" based on research by Dr. Teri Apter and The Female Lead. In a small study, adolescent girls were assigned four high-achieving women to follow on social media (in addition to their normal use). As a result, not only did the girls become more interested in more substantive content, the algorithms of social media lead to different feeds. In other words, "following" the social media accounts of high-achieving women meant "pop-up" suggestions changed to include other meaningful content. Parents ... maybe ask your kids to "follow" some good role models!