(Anti)Social Media can not be inherently good or evil. That being said, the end users can be in a place in their lives where they can be easily persuaded, in an altered mental state or are just inexperienced in their lives. All three of those descriptions fit with the reality of youth. Who bears the responsibility of protecting our youth from the adverse effects of social media, a tool that can be used for good?
Policy makers, of course. In this commentary from the Canadian Pediatric Society and in the arguments made in Debate #2, they outline how policymakers need to investigate age verification and examine how data is collected from users who are minors. In the simplest ways, age verification can be easily defeated by changing your year of birth. However, some verification sites require proof of ID, like a driver’s license. Now, sharing that level of information taps into the issues of privacy and sharing too much information, an issue that developing minds struggle with, just like aging parents and grandparents who get scammed.
The debate sources also noted the need for academia to be involved with research on the effects of social media and mental health. As I read through the sources and listened to the debate, I began wondering about the compounding effects that social media (and screens) have on our youth. As noted in the Surgeon General’s report, youth would often be accessing content in the hours when they would be sleeping. So, as a youth with a negative body image or a low self-worth, they are limiting crucial developmental time and filling it with negative content (potentially). This can create addiction and lead to the creation of hate towards others.
Of course it can’t be all bad…can it? No. Like many answers in life, balance is key. What does balance look like and feel like? I can’t answer that at the moment. But I know that a unified effort is key to supporting the usage of social media and the healthy development of our youth in today’s world. I have anecdotal evidence to support the positive that social media can bring. My daughter stays connected to her friends who moved to Ontario through FaceTime and FB messenger. I have a student who moved to my school (small & rural) from an urban centre. Her social community from her old school doesn’t exist in her new school, but through social media, she is still able to stay connected and find companionship.
Overall, I believe families need to be responsible as the first responders and mentors to social media usage within our youth. Yes, as a teacher, I can provide lessons on digital literacy, but I can’t dedicate all my time to social media usage, nor am I around the child when they are accessing social media content. Policies are great, but not foolproof (see: drunk driving or school shootings). Tech companies will always have profit-first mentalities and can’t be trusted to make real and meaningful changes to social media (see: Big Tobacco). Social media can be an incredible tool for activism and support in our world – a world that is shrinking because of social media, but users of social media must be responsible and respectful.