Overview

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report stating there is not enough evidence to support broad restrictions or bans on social media for teenagers.
• The report acknowledges the rise in depression, suicide, and poor mental health among U.S. adolescents and the corresponding growth in their social media use, but states that correlation is not the same thing as causation.
• The report suggests that certain features of social media can be harmful to young users, such as algorithms that drive users' attention toward harmful content and disinformation, and time spent on devices at the expense of exercise, study, and sleep.
• The report also highlights the benefits of social media for teenagers, particularly those who feel marginalized, and recommends a judicious approach to protect youth mental health rather than broad-stroke bans.
• The authors of the report call for more research on the causal links between specific elements of social media and mental health, and for tech companies to make their data available to researchers.