The harmful effects of social media are no secret. In a recent op-ed, the Surgeon General warned how social media platforms harm youth mental health. He spoke about a Colorado mom named Lori, who despite her very best efforts to monitor her daughter’s social media accounts, lost her daughter to suicide after she was bullied online.
I visited with Lori earlier this year to talk with her about her loss and her disappointment and outrage that social media platforms aren’t doing more to protect kids. Stories like Lori’s inspire me to continue the work of addressing the harmful impact of social media on our youth.
Research shows that those who use social media over three hours per day “faced a significantly higher risk of mental health problems, and that 46 percent of adolescents said that social media made them feel worse about their bodies.”
Social media platforms like Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, designed their platforms in ways that harm young people—sending notifications throughout the night and disrupting sleep, showing kids like Lori’s daughter self-harm content, and marketing to kids under 13 without parental consent.
This is all illegal. We are suing Meta and working to hold them accountable, working to change how their platforms operate. We’re also investigating TikTok for similar issues.
Last month, I joined the Generation Collaboration podcast to discuss the impact of social media on kids. My conversation with Litzy and Emanuel, two high school students, was inspiring as we recognized and discussed these threats together. If you have a chance to listen, let me know what you think.
