The headline for this article was created to capture attention, commonly known as click-bait, which we wanted to use as the pretext for this article – we bet it worked!
This week we found yet another click-bait article that was posted by a very popular online vendor that sell’s both hardware and software solutions to parents and caregivers designed to help keep youth safer online – the title of this DailMail.com tabloid article, “Teenagers are now so hooked on social media they don’t even SEARCH the internet for information – and will instead wait to see what algorithms on TikTok will serve-up for them to watch” (1) As youth will say, OMG – Oh My God!
Having presented to over 600,000 youth from across North America, this is not something that we have empirically seen (2), nor is it something that good research has reported out from reputable organizations like MediaSmarts here in Canada (3)
A quote from the article, “…young people are losing the very curiosity that led generations before them to seek out musicians, authors, and artists they enjoyed. As a result, these algorithms are also feared to be depriving youngsters of the joy of discovering something they love, then developing a passion for it.”
Interesting, what about these teens that we wrote about who are using social media, the internet, and technology to create and develop new ideas (4) Or, how about this Canadian teen whose ingenuity in developing software led to it being used in the Spiderman Lego movie (5) Sometimes algorithms can be useful when it comes to following others online who have the same interests as the user.
Another quote from the article, “Kids today are, simply put, not learning how to be curious, critical adults — and they don’t seem to know what they’ve lost.”
If anything, the internet and social media has actually opened the door to curiosity more than ever before, which can be both good and bad depending upon the content. What is lost? – ideas and methodologies that just aren’t relevant to youth in today’s onlife world. Like every generation, youth today have adapted to what is relevant to their needs in today’s onlife world and do away with what is not! However, there are still some adults who want to bring back the “good old days” of when they were youth.
Bringing back the “good old days” is often presented as a solution to perceived issues with today’s youth, especially when it comes to technology, but there are several problems and limitations associated with this approach. While nostalgia for the past can be appealing to many adults who don’t get the onlife world of today’s youth, it’s important to recognize that societal, technological, and cultural contexts have evolved significantly since those times. Here are some of the key challenges with idealizing a return to the past such as:
· The challenges and opportunities faced by each generation are unique to their era. What worked in the past might not be applicable or effective in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. Attempting to impose past norms on present circumstances can hinder progress and growth.
· The technological landscape is ubiquitous and has transformed the way we live, learn, and communicate. While technology can bring about positive changes, it also presents new challenges. Rejecting technological advancements can lead to missed opportunities for innovation and development.
· Each generation builds upon the achievements and knowledge of the previous ones. Rejecting modern innovations and progress can hinder society’s ability to address new challenges, find creative solutions, and adapt to changing circumstances.
· Dismissing the interests, concerns, and preferences of today’s youth can lead to a generation gap and hinder effective communication between generations. Empowering young people to engage with and shape the world around them is essential for a thriving society.
· Nostalgia often comes with a selective memory bias, focusing on positive aspects while ignoring the challenges and issues of the past. The “good old days” might not have been universally good for everyone, and romanticizing the past can overlook the progress that has been made in areas like civil rights, gender equality, and social justice that technology and social media can amplify.
· The ability to adapt to new circumstances is a valuable skill in today’s rapidly changing world. Encouraging, digital literacy, adaptability and resilience rather than clinging to the past helps individuals and societies navigate uncertainty and effectively respond to challenges
Now we do agree with some aspects in the article – Yes, the use of algorithms can become problematic, and more needs to be done to hold social media vendors accountable for how they are weaponizing them to capture the attention of both youth and adults. However, digital literacy education is working to help youth understand what an algorithm is, and how they are being used to capture attention, and what they can do to leverage these algorithms to their advantage in a positive way. However, more needs to be done in the area of education for sure.
Another quote from the article, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents,’ according to an advisory issued by the surgeon general this year.”
The context of this quote is important. The American Psychological Association (APA) just came out with its “Health Advisory On Social Media Use In Adolescence”, which is based on much of the research that was mentioned by the surgeon general. Here is one of their findings based on the good research at the time of their report:
“Using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people. Adolescents’ lives online both reflect and impact their offline lives. In most cases, the effects of social media are dependent on adolescents’ own personal and psychological characteristics and social circumstances—intersecting with the specific content, features, or functions that are afforded within many social media platforms. In other words, the effects of social media likely depend on what teens can do and see online, teens’ preexisting strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up.“ (6)
How about this newly release 2023 longitudinal peer-reviewed research study, that was published after the surgeon general and the American Psychological Association reports were released and therefore not considered in their reviews? Researchers followed a group of Norwegian children, aged 10, 12, 14, and 16 (total of 810 children) These youth underwent psychiatric interviews to assess symptoms of depression, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety. The collected data was analyzed using a statistical method called Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Modeling. The study found that the frequency of posting, liking, and commenting on social media had “NO” connection to future symptoms of depression and anxiety. This conclusion remains valid even when using highly reliable measures of depression and anxiety.(7)
Are there emotional, psychological, physical, and social challenges associated with onlife problematic behavior? Yes, there are, and we speak to parents, educators, and youth about these challenges. Newer research is showing us that digital affordance, through the use of algorithms used by some social media platforms, can undermine mental wellness thus increasing exposure to online harmful content for some youth who are already at risk. However, don’t believe all the hype associated with social media, and its negative effects on mental wellness, as being “the” cause of this decline that is pushed by some special interest groups and hardware/software vendors .
As Dr. Sonia Livingstone stated,” The relationship between digital life and mental health is best characterized by a complex mix of positive and negative influences varying over time both within and between individuals – conditioned and moderated by personal characteristics and cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors.”(8)
Again, we do believe that tech can play a role in youth mental wellness in today’s onlife world, both negative and positive, but it is more nuanced and multifactorial than just tech. Those other multifactorial challenges that have been identified by good peer-reviewed research is something that we speak to in this article (9)
The DailyMail.com tabloid article further goes onto say how some US legislators are creating Bills to deal with their perceived ills surrounding social media. As one US Senator stated, “The bill is meant to prioritize stronger age verification practices and placing a ban on children under 13 using social media altogether. It would also require that minors between age 13 and 17 to get consent from a parent or legal guardian to sign up for social media. The bill would work to block social media companies from recommending content through algorithms for people under 18.”
One key concern we have when it comes to protecting youth from less-than-desirable online content – the increasing prevalence of adults, more specifically politicians, wanting to create digital walled gardens through legislation that target youth, rather than social media vendors, in an attempt to control, protect, and limit their access to information and services through legislation. – something that we speak to in this article we wrote on this specific topic (10)
While legislation aimed at protecting youth may seem reassuring, it often limits their freedom to explore and learn. In some cases, there could also be legal consequences to the youth for breaching such legislation. Like it or not, youth centric targeted legislation is nothing more than a Nirvana fallacy that is often created and enacted for political gain and will do little to protect our kids who will find ways to by-pass these types of legislative digitally walled gardens.
Final Thoughts:
We are seeing a significant increase in vendors who are using and forwarding click-bait headlines in social media attempting to sell a hardware and/or software solution to parents and caregivers to help keep youth safer online. Some are ethical in their approach to pushing information and narratives, while others will promote tabloid articles that use juvenoia and moral panic-based click-bait headlines and content to juice fear, to convince parents and caregivers to buy their product.
The provocative title and sensational claims about teenagers’ relationship with social media that spawned this review of the DailyMail.com article, paint a picture of a generation detached from curiosity and self-discovery – teen digital automatons (zombies). However, our extensive experience working with over 600,000 youth across North America contradicts this assertion. Similarly, respected research organizations like MediaSmarts in Canada emphasize the complexity of youth engagement with digital platforms.
While the article raises concerns about the potential negative impact of algorithms on curiosity and critical thinking, it fails to acknowledge the diverse ways today’s youth are leveraging the internet, social media, and algorithms for creative expression and innovation, as evidenced by instances of teens using technology to bring their ideas to life. The assertion that young people are losing their curiosity overlooks the fact that each generation adapts to what’s relevant to their contemporary context.
Undoubtedly, challenges surrounding algorithmic use and mental health in the digital age exist. Still, it’s crucial to approach the issue with nuance, as newer research suggests that the relationship between social media and mental wellness is multifaceted, influenced by a range of individual and environmental factors.
While legislative efforts to protect youth online are well-intentioned, they risk limiting the exploration and learning experiences of young individuals. The increasing push for hardware and software solutions aimed at safeguarding youth in the digital world highlights a growing market, but it’s important for parents and caregivers to critically assess the motivations behind such products, and the way they will use juvenoic moral panic based articles to push their narrative to buy their products. In this landscape of mixed messages, it’s essential to navigate with an informed perspective, recognizing the complexities and opportunities that the digital world offers to today’s youth.
We here at the White Hatter will continue to be a source that relies on good evidence- based and academic peer-reviewed research, based on facts and not fear with a goal of enlightening and not frightening parents, caregivers, youth, and educators specific to the onlife world of youth!
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
References
2/ https://thewhitehatter.ca/blog/teens-technology-its-not-all-doom-gloom/
3/ https://mediasmarts.ca/research-policy-ycww
5/ https://www.cheknews.ca/saanich-teens-lego-animation-software-makes-it-to-hollywood-1157660/
6/ https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use
7/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563223002108
8/https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.13302
