By Katelyn Teng
A central focus of the field of neuroethics lies at the intersection of existing and emerging technologies, and the promotion of brain health. Nearly all adolescents use at least one form of social media (97%) (1), and 14% of adolescents experience mental health conditions (2). During adolescence, there is a higher risk of developing mental illnesses (3). With the increasing usage of social media and the high incidences of mental health conditions observed in adolescents, parents wonder: How should they make decisions around their children’s social media use based on evidence of positive outcomes?
Can social media be used to promote good mental health in youth?
Social media can be an important facet of adolescent life (4). It is an opportunity for social interaction and to build communities with people they don’t necessarily see face to face. Durable support networks are meaningful resources that can help adolescents avoid the development of mental illnesses (5). And, importantly, social media provides an accessible way for youth to find and receive mental health support through the help of online communities — many of which include people with similar lived experiences (6). Mental health practitioners report that reduced isolation, social skill development, and accessible communication are benefits to the mental wellbeing of younger users. These online communities allow social media users to educate themselves on their mental health struggles, and provide them with a platform to discuss their experiences with others who can contribute resources and support that may otherwise be difficult to obtain outside of social media (6). Social media can also be a platform to advocate or to promote positive mental health strategies to peers, creating a venue for accessible mental health help.
Adolescents are also subject to external risk factors to developing mental health conditions, including academics and friendship dynamics, that require coping strategies to maintain good mental health (5). Social media serves as a potentially effective tool to alleviate stress, such as by providing distraction or relaxation, and could help adolescents cope with stressors. Younger people have reported that the main goals of using apps for mental health purposes are for helping them calm down, maintaining well-being in the long term, and to have access to other resources for support (8).
Is social media contributing to mental illnesses in young audiences?
Despite these potential benefits, social media has the potential to cause harm. Many parents opt to mediate or disallow social media use, and adolescents are particularly susceptible to social media’s influence due to the nature of this developmental period (3). Reports of self-esteem struggles, poor sleep habits, and the setting of unrealistic standards on social media have made some parents uncomfortable with their children’s use of it (3,5). Peers can use social media to drive social exclusion and influence risky behaviour — for example, by using externalized issues like bullying to encourage internalized issues such as struggles with self-image (5). Youth may also feel pressured to perfect the way they present themselves to their peers, which results in meticulously edited content. Over time, adolescents could develop a habit of comparing themselves to their online image as well as what they see online from their peers, and as social media use becomes more popular, this tendency for comparison is exacerbated.
Are social media platforms ethically responsible for safe social media use?
Social media platforms have an important role in making sure that their platform is beneficial, and not harmful, to adolescent users. As such, there is an ethical need to measure and assess the functionalities that these platforms have in place to address their role in this goal. For example, social media platforms often censor the content of social media posts with the intention of preventing harmful content from being shared or viewed – however, it is important to also note that the practice of censorship has not been strongly supported by evidence of positive outcomes. Content moderation has been shown to potentially counter positive mental health engagement by limiting access to helpful resources, regardless of intention (9). Because of the potential for these policies to shape adolescent mental health and overall social experience, social media platforms need to make conscious efforts moving forward to make safety policies with evidence supporting their effectiveness. While it is ethically necessary for them to consider strategies to maintain adolescent health, this is not always followed in practice, so it is important for parents and younger people to be informed on what types of content moderation policies exist in the platforms they use. Being familiar with how social media platforms moderate content can help parents and adolescents be best equipped to decide on a safe platform that works for them.
Should children be on social media?
Using social media without internet safety or mental health education can be detrimental; however, it is important to acknowledge that adolescents also report that social media is meaningful to them for connecting with their peers and engaging with online discourse. Additionally, research suggests that the method of parenting and mediating social media influences how younger people use these platforms (7). For example, parental mediation that supports adolescents’ autonomy may lead to less time on social media, less risky social media use, and a reduction of anxiety or depression symptoms. Supporting autonomy can look like developing age-appropriate rules around social media as well as taking into consideration the views of adolescents (7). As such, the way parents respond to social media use can be a formative factor for a child’s interactions and attitudes towards social media.
The experience that users have with social media varies with the functionalities and features that the platforms have. When choosing mental health supports on their phones, adolescents prioritize features such as accessibility, quality of intervention, security, customizability, and usability. The credibility and safety of an app is also valued among younger users (8). Understanding what adolescents value in social media, as well as what platforms they are likely to choose, can allow parents to better understand how to assess platforms for safety and mental health support capabilities.
Whether or not social media should be used and/or moderated is a personal parenting decision that should be well-researched and discussed amongst both parents and their children. Informed use for both parties contributes to the overall safety when engaging with social media for social or mental health support. While using social media can pose risks for people of any age, it is important to consider the benefits that may be realized for youth when they are given the opportunity to learn how to navigate social media in a safe and healthy way.
References
- Vogels EA, Gelles-Watnick R, Massarat N. Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022 [Internet]. Pew Research Center. 2023 Aug 10 [cited 2023 Jul 6]. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
- Mental health of adolescents [Internet]. World Health Organization. 2021 [cited 2023 July 6]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
- Nesi J. The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities. North Carolina Medical Journal. 2020 Mar 01;81(2):116–21.
- Barry CT, Sidoti CL, Briggs SM, Reiter SR, Lindsey RA. Adolescent social media use and mental health from adolescent and parent perspectives. Journal of Adolescence. 2017 Sep;61(1):1-11.
- O’Reilly, M. Social media and adolescent mental health: the good, the bad and the ugly. Journal of Mental Health. 2020 Jan 28;29(2):200-06.
- O’Reilly M, Dogra N, Hughes J, Reilly P, George R, Whiteman N. Potential of social media in promoting mental health in adolescents. Health Promotion International. 2019 Oct;34(5):981–91.
- Beyens I, Keijsers L, Coyne SM. Social media, parenting, and well-being. Current Opinion in Psychology. 2022 Oct;47:101350.
- Kabacińska K, McLeod K, MacKenzie A, Vu K, Cianfrone M, Tugwell A, Robillard JM. What criteria are young people using to select mobile mental health applications? A nominal group study. Digital Health. 2022 May;8.
- Zhang CC, Zaleski G, Kailley JN, Teng KA, English M, Riminchan A, Robillard JM. Debate: Social media content moderation may do more harm than good for youth mental health. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 2024 Feb;29(1):104-106.
Katelyn Teng is an undergraduate research assistant in the NEST Lab under the supervision of Dr. Julie Robillard. She is pursuing a BSc in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, and is passionate about mental health advocation and technology’s role in patient experience. Outside of work and school, she can be found baking sweet treats, collecting her favourite vinyl records, and with friends and family.
Neuroethics at the Core 