Surgeon General Vivek Murthy feels that many children are signing on to social media networks too young for the platform.
“I, personally, believe based on the data I’ve seen that 13 is too early,” Murthy said on CNN. Self-worth and their relationships and the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often do a disservice to many of those kids.
Most major social media networks, including Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, allow children as young as 13 to create their own social media pages.
published research A study earlier this month indicated that children who habitually sign on to social media by age 12 may see changes in their brain’s sensitivity to social rewards and punishments.
โSocial media use among teens has grown in a big way over the past decade. This longitudinal cohort study suggests that social media behavior in early adolescence may be associated with changes in adolescent neural development, specifically neural sensitivity to potential social feedback,” wrote the authors of the University of North Carolina study.
Mayo Clinic suggested that there may be some benefits to the use of social media.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Social media that is humorous or distracting or provides a meaningful connection to peers and a broad social network may also help teens avoid depression.”
But excessive use of social media by teens has been linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety, the Mayo Clinic said.
Murthy recommends that parents try to prevent their children from engaging with social media platforms until they are closer to adulthood.
“If parents can band together and say, you know, as a group, we want our kids to use social media until they’re 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever age they choose.” Not allowing that is a more effective strategy in making sure your kids aren’t exposed to harm early,” he told CNN.
