Video above: The Justice Department is investigating the impact of Instagram on young adults in the United States. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says he thinks 13 is too young for kids to be on social media platforms because the sites allow kids that age to join, saying kids are still "developing their identities". Meta, Twitter and a host of other social media giants currently allow 13-year-olds to join their platforms. "Personally, based on the data I've seen, I think 13 is too early... It's a time when it's really important that we think about how they think about their own worth and their relationships and the environment." think … biased and often distorted social media often hurts a lot of these kids,” Murthy said on CNN Newsroom. The media has raised alarms among medical professionals, who point to a growing body of research into the harm such platforms can do to teenagers. Murthy acknowledged the difficulties of keeping children off these platforms given their popularity, but suggested parents could succeed if they presented a united front: "If parents can come together and say, you know, as a group, we're not going to let ours." Kids using social media until they're 16, 17, 18 or whatever age they choose is a much more effective strategy to ensure their kids don't expose themselves to harm early on," he told CNN. According to a study published this month in JAMA Pediatrics, students who engaged in social media more regularly showed increased neural sensitivity in certain parts of their brains, making them more sensitive to social consequences over time. Adriana Stacey have been pointing out this phenomenon for years. who works primarily with teenagers and college students, previously told CNN that using social media triggers a "release of dopamine ga" in the brain. "When we do things that are addictive, like using cocaine or using smartphones, our "The brain releases a lot of dopamine at once. It tells our brain to keep using it," he said. "Especially in adolescents, this part of their brain is really overactive compared to adults. They can't motivate themselves to do anything else." Studies show other ways excessive screen time can impair brain development.In young children, for example, excessive screen time was significantly associated with poorer literacy skills and the ability to use expressive language.Legislators are paying attention to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who recently a Bulwark comment on loneliness and mental health ver reiterated the surgeon general's concerns via social media. "We've lost something as a society in that so much of our lives has become screen-to-screen communication, it just doesn't give you the same value and sense of satisfaction as talking to someone or seeing someone." Murphy told CNN in an interview with Murthy. For both Murphy and Murthy, the problem of social media addiction is personal. Both men are fathers: Murphy as a teenager and Murthy as young children. "It is no coincidence that Dr. Murthy and I probably speak more about this issue of loneliness than anyone else in public," Murphy told CNN. "I see that through the prism of my 14-year-old son and my 11-year-old son." As a country, Murphy stated that the US is not powerless over Big Tech. Lawmakers could make other decisions to restrict young children's use of social media and incentivize companies to make algorithms less addictive. a fair fight." He told CNN, "You have some of the best product designers and developers in the world who have designed these products to ensure that people maximize the time they spend on these platforms. And when we say to a kid, harness the power of If you use your willpower to control how much time you spend, put a kid up against the best product designers in the world.” That's out of our control dangerous vehicles on on the road, we legislated to make those vehicles less dangerous," he told CNN. "We should make choices to create a healthier experience that makes children feel better and less alone."
Video above: DOJ examines the impact of Instagram on young adults
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says he thinks 13 is too young for kids to be on social media platforms because although the sites allow kids of that age to join, "kids are still developing their identities".
Notice
Meta, Twitter and a host of other social media giants currently allow 13-year-olds to join their platforms.
"Personally, based on the data I've seen, I think 13 is too early... It's a time when it's really important for us to reflect on how they feel about their own worth." and their distortion, and often many of these children are hurting often distorted relationships and the social media environment," Murthy told CNN Newsroom.
CNN
The number of teenagers on social media has raised alarms among medical professionals who point to agrowing area of researchabout the harm such platforms can do to teenagers.
Murthy acknowledged the difficulties of keeping children off these platforms given their popularity, but suggested parents could thrive by presenting a united front.
"If parents can come together and say, you know, as a group we're not going to let our kids use social media until they're 16, 17, 18 or whatever age they choose, that's a much more effective strategy to make sure theirs." Children are not exposed to harm early on," he told CNN.
For teenagers, social media could transform the brain, researchers say
Video below: Rossen Reports: Child Safety Apps
Young people are particularly at risk
New research suggestsRegularly consulting social networks can change the brain chemistry of adolescents.
According to a study published in this monthJAMA Pediatrics, students who checked social media more frequently showed increased neural sensitivity in certain parts of their brains, making their brains more sensitive to social consequences over time.
Psychiatrists like Dr. Adriana Stacey have been pointing out this phenomenon for years. Stacey, who works primarily with teenagers and college students, previously told CNN that using social media triggers a "dopamine rush" in the brain.
“When we do things that are addictive, like cocaine or smartphones, our brain releases a huge amount of dopamine all at once. It tells our brain to keep using that," he said. “Especially in adolescents, this part of their brain is really overactive compared to adults. You can't motivate yourself to do anything else.”
Recent studies show other ways excessive screen time can impair brain development. For example, in young children, excessive screen time was significantly associatedpoorer emerging literacy skillsand the ability to use expressive language.
How to spot false election information on social media
The legislature is watching
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, whorecently published an opinion articleIn the Bulwark on loneliness and mental health, he echoed the Surgeon General's concerns about social media. "We've lost something as a society in that so much of our lives has become screen-to-screen communication, it just doesn't give you the same value and sense of satisfaction as talking to someone or seeing someone." ” Murphy told CNN in an interview with Murthy.
For both Murphy and Murthy, the problem of social media addiction is personal. Both men are fathers: Murphy as a teenager and Murthy as young children. "It is no coincidence that Dr. Murthy and I probably speak more about this issue of loneliness than anyone else in public," Murphy told CNN. "I see that through the prism of my 14-year-old son and my 11-year-old son."
As a country, Murphy explained, the US is not powerless in the face of Big Tech. Lawmakers could make other decisions to limit young children's access to social media and provide incentives for companies to make algorithms less addictive.
Alerts Social media apps track users with precise location
Next video: Massachusetts psychiatrist on children's use of social media in the summer
The Surgeon General similarly addressed addictive algorithms, stating that "putting teenagers against big tech just isn't a fair fight." He told CNN, "You have some of the best product designers and developers in the world who designed these products to ensure people maximize the time they spend on these platforms. And when we say to a kid, use the power of your will to control how much time you spend, put a kid up against the best product designers in the world."
Despite the obstacles parents and children face, Murphy expressed optimism about the future of social media.
“None of this is beyond our control. When we had dangerous vehicles on the road, we legislated to make those vehicles less dangerous," he told CNN. "We should make choices to make [social media] a healthier experience that makes kids feel better and less alone."