HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University leaders are working to spread awareness about social media impacts on children across West Virginia.
The effort comes as the nation’s top doctor urges tobacco and alcohol-style warning labels on social media citing mental health risks for young people.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote an op-ed in the New York Times last week that suggests a black warning label, which requires Congressional action, that would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.
Dr. Britani Black, an assistant professor with the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, told MetroNews Tuesday that social media is a big part of our lives in 2024 and people are getting online at a younger age.
“It does have potential effects on things like self-esteem and potentially body image, social comparisons and some of that can lead to a lot of difficulties,” Black said.
States and cities across the country are already taking action. A controversial law is set to take effect in New York in 2025. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill to restrict social media use by minors. Under the law, people under 18 will only be allowed to see posts from accounts they follow, platforms can’t send minors notifications between 12-6 a.m., and restrictions could be turned off with parental consent.
Cell phone use will be banned for half a million students who attend Los Angeles Unified Schools next year under a plan approved last week. The goal is to reduce distractions an increase human connection.
Black said limiting screen time can help reduce anxiety and bullying. She suggests replacing social media with another activity during that time period.
“Finding something else to replace it with so not just I’m stopping all social media use or I’m not going to look at it during this time of the day. Instead of just doing that, building in something else to do during those time periods so if you are somebody who likes going on walks and being active, putting that in that time period or a family game night, whatever works for you,” she said.
Murthy wrote teens who “spend more than three hours a day on social media double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms.” The average time spent for that age group is nearly five hours.
Murthy said similar labels that were put on tobacco products helped dramatically reduce their usage.
Black said those warning labels could be helpful for children and families in West Virginia who may be feeling insecure about what they see online.
“If we see people looking or acting a certain way on social media and we don’t feel like we’re as good as them or doing as much as them, sometimes that can make you feel bad about yourself and make you have negative self-esteem which can be related to anxiety or depression for some folks,” Black said.
Murthy also wrote that there’s role that schools and parents play here. He said having phones and tablets in classrooms is not an advantage for students. Black said devices are often used in school settings and for educational purposes, so it’s difficult to cut off use completely, but there are ways to limit screen time.
“It’s difficult because we are very plugged in for school, for work and all those things. It’s very much east of access,” she said. “Some people don’t have certain social media apps on their phones so it’s more of an effort to log into them or you have to go on to a computer to log into them which can be really helpful.”
Even with Congressional approval, warning labels would likely be challenged in the courts by tech companies.