A surgeon general’s warning for social media? Psychology faculty member explains

After earlier issuing an advisory about the potentially harmful effects of social media use on youth mental health, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy this month issued a call for a warning label to be applied to social media platforms.

In a column in the New York Times, Murthy explained his reasoning for adding the warning label to social media, which would join alcohol and tobacco products as the only consumer products carrying a caution by the government’s top health official. “The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor,” Murthy wrote in the column.

Today at Elon turned to Assistant Professor of Psychology Ilyssa Salomon for more insight into what prompted the move by the surgeon general, commonly referred to as “the nation’s doctor,” what the research says about social media and youth mental health and how a new warning label might impact young social media users. Salomon is a developmental psychologist who explores the impact of social media use on adolescent social and emotional development.

The surgeon general’s call for a warning label for social media comes amid increasing concerns about how regular social media use can impact the mental health of young people. What are some of the most prominent findings that could be driving this move?

Salomon: Now that social media has been around for a while, we are seeing more large-scale studies like systematic reviews and meta-analyses that essentially combine the results of many studies to give us a sense of the bigger picture. My take on the research is that there is a relationship between social media use and negative mental health outcomes, but like most human things, it’s complicated.

For one, accurately capturing the true experience of social media use is a major challenge for researchers. The algorithms utilized by platforms like Instagram and TikTok mean that user experiences can differ a lot from person to person in terms of what content they see. Asking adolescents to report how often they use social media or even their screen time does not necessarily tell you much about what they were doing. As a result, I think researchers are focusing more on specific behaviors online, like taking and posting selfies, or even just consuming specific types of content. Even then, it’s a challenge to pinpoint exactly which behaviors are associated with negative outcomes and why.

Then, when considering the potential impact of that content, you also need to account for individual characteristics, or who’s coming to the table. For instance, in my own work, I’ve found that the relationship between social media use and negative body image is stronger for adolescents who already care more about what their peers think. Who your kid is matters when thinking about how social media use might affect them.

The only other products with surgeon general warning labels — alcohol and tobacco products — are targeted in part because they can be highly addictive and cause significant health problems. What have we learned about the addictive qualities of social media, particularly for young people?

Salomon: There is a growing body of work exploring the physical, social, and psychological consequences of addiction-like feelings and behaviors toward technology. There are many terms researchers use to describe this phenomenon, like social media addiction, maladaptive social media use, Internet addiction, problematic smartphone use, and on. All these terms capture feeling dependent on technology or feeling compelled to use it in ways that disrupt your functioning or have negative consequences.

I think the most obvious explanation is access, the portable nature of smartphones really increased how often people could engage with media throughout the day compared to earlier periods. We have a world of entertainment and stimulation at our fingertips, and the crumpled magazine in the waiting room just can’t compete. In terms of adolescence, the importance of peers increases significantly during this period, and if the social connections happen online, it makes sense why adolescents want to stay engaged. Some researchers are even studying FoMO, or the fear of missing out, as a potential explanation for excessive use. From a cognitive perspective, it also makes sense that adolescents might struggle with impulse control or discount the future cost of losing sleep for immediate social rewards.

A warning label would raise the visibility of potential harms from social media use. How effective do you believe it would be in altering social media usage by young people?

Salomon: There is no doubt that a warning label would raise visibility or further heighten awareness for people who already knew about potential harms. To me, I feel like the path forward depends on whether social media is here to stay. If it remains a significant part of youth culture, then my instinct is to of course set limits, but also teach them how to use it wisely. Adolescents typically seek out more autonomy as they mature, and parents and guardians are responsible for figuring out what developmentally appropriate freedom looks like for their kids. Ideally, I think raising awareness could motivate parents and guardians to have conversations about the potential harms of social media use earlier. That way, children have developed healthy values around technology by the time they have access to it.

What are some tips for users young and old to help mitigate the potentially negative impact of social media upon mental health?

Salomon: I think there is general advice that most people would agree with, like don’t sacrifice sleep or give up the opportunity for in-person interactions for social media. When you’re around other people, be present. Stay aware of how you feel after engaging with social media and set limits or take breaks as needed. People can also try and be more intentional and use the customizable nature of some social media platforms to their advantage. Seek out positive or educational content that makes you feel good and adds to your life in a productive way. Use it to find community, communicate with friends, or facilitate in person relationships.

Social media is a cultural mirror that gives us a good look at what our society values, for better or for worse. As someone who studies body image, I see how media perpetuate the physical beauty standards that are impossible for most people to reach. I also see people successfully reject those standards and stand firm in their own values. With that in mind, my last tip would be to know yourself, recognize how the content you consume may feed a narrative that does not serve you, and act accordingly.