Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says there is no causal link between teen mental health and social media

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/25/24254044/mark-zuckerberg-meta-social-media-teen-mental-health

Social media contains both legitimate and malicious information that misleads people, and it is said that children who are mentally immature are particularly susceptible to its influence. In the United States and other countries, a bill has been introducedpast that minors using social media should take ‘reasonable steps to limit certain harms, such as online bullying, sexual exploitation, drug advertising and eating disorders’. It is true that there is much debate about the claim that social media is harmful to teenagers.

However, some studies show that social media use does not have negative effects on teens’ mental health. Furthermore, there is no conclusive evidence about the effects of social media on teens.

Research shows internet use has no negative impact on mental health – GIGAZINE

Meta was previously reported, based on internal documents, as having “failed to take action despite knowing Instagram was having a negative impact on teens.” The incident sparked widespread outrage, including an investigation by government agencies. Meta responded by stating that the report was “inaccurate and exaggerated.”

Facebook publishes report on ‘Instagram’s impact on teens’, but press release immediately publishes further internal documents – GIGAZINE

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CEO Zuckerberg said in an interview with The Verge: “The vast majority of high-quality research suggests there is no large-scale causal link between social media and teen mental health.”

“The academic research agrees with me, but it’s the opposite of what a lot of people think. In general, you can help make something better, even if you didn’t cause it. I believe that giving parents tools to limit their kids’ social media use is the right approach for the company, and I think that approach can help make it better,” Zuckerberg said.

In September 2024, Instagram will introduce a stricter system called “Teen Accounts.” This system includes new child protection measures, such as forcing accounts of individuals under the age of 16 to be private.

Instagram forces accounts under 16 to be ‘private’, restricts messaging and puts accounts to sleep between 10pm and 7pm – GIGAZINE

“I’m skeptical about the direct link between social media and mental health, but if child safety laws are passed, Meta will comply with government guidelines and laws,” Zuckerberg said.