Parents today are bombarded with alarming headlines about social media’s impact on their children’s mental health. With each new report or statistic, advocacy groups and media outlets often rush to conclusions that bolster their existing narratives. Unfortunately, this can lead to the distortion of facts, causing unnecessary fear and anxiety. One recent example of this is the release of the US CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (October 10, 2024) titled “Frequent Social Media Use and Experiences with Bullying Victimization, Persistent Feelings of Sadness or Hopelessness, and Suicide Risk Among High School Students.” (1)
This report has quickly become the target of misleading interpretations, particularly from groups advocating for delaying social media access for youth. The day after this report was released, some of these groups circulated this graphics from the report, claiming it provided proof that “kids who use social media are more likely to commit suicide.”
They used this graphic and the report as ammunition to argue that delaying social media use in youth is a necessary step to prevent mental health crises including suicide.
While protecting young people from harm is a shared goal, it’s critical to examine whether the claims made by these groups are supported by the actual data. Spoiler alert – they are not.
So, what does the CDC report actually say?
The CDC’s report provides data on the association between frequent social media use and feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and suicide risk. But the key to understanding this report is in the details, and in the limitations outlined by the researchers themselves. Here are two important quotes from the report:
“In addition, analyses did not describe indirect pathways (e.g., through online victimization or reduced sleep quality) through which frequent social media use might influence mental health and suicide risk, or protective factors (e.g., connectedness to others) that might buffer the negative impacts of frequent social media use on mental health and suicide risk.”
“Emerging literature has found that social media can be protective for youths who identify as LGBTQ+ by connecting them with affirming communities, support networks, and resources online and might even reduce suicide risk for certain youths.”
What do these statements tell us? First, the CDC is clear that its report does NOT determine the causal relationships between social media and suicide risk. It does not claim that social media use directly leads to mental health challenges in the majority of teens, nor does it ignore potential protective factors of social media. In fact, for some youth, the report actually recognizes that for those from marginalized communities, social media can serve as a vital source of support.
One of the biggest challenges in understanding the relationship between social media and mental health is the classic “chicken and egg” problem – does social media cause mental health issues, or do individuals already struggling with mental health challenges seek out social media for support?
Researchers, like Dr. Candice Odgers, who has been studying the effects of social media on youth for over 20 years, suggest it is often the latter. Young people facing mental health struggles often turn to online communities as a form of solace, especially when they lack other outlets or support systems. Social media can provide connection and validation that they may not find elsewhere, particularly for those who are isolated, bullied, or part of marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community. However, the research does show that for a small cohort of teens, technology and social media can “sometimes” have a negative emotional, psychological, physical, and social consequences. However, to quote Dr Pete Etchells (2)
“So instead of asking, does social media use cause mental health issues? perhaps a better question might be: why do some people prosper online while others get into real difficulty?”
Unfortunately, some advocacy groups tend to cherry-pick data or misinterpret findings to advance their own agendas, regardless of whether the facts fully support their stance. In the case of the CDC report mentioned in this posting, rather than acknowledging the complexities and nuances, some are using it as evidence for delaying technology, oversimplifying a multifaceted issue. This tactic, the bait and switch of disinformation, misrepresents the findings of the report, turning data into a wedge to provoke fear rather than encourage thoughtful solutions.
As parents and caregivers, it’s easy to get swept up in the emotionally charged rhetoric around social media and our children’s well-being. After all, no parent or caregiver wants their child to be at risk. But knee-jerk reactions, especially those based on misrepresented information, can cause more harm than good.
Delaying technology may seem like a simple solution, but it ignores the potential benefits that platforms can offer for many youth. It’s not a matter of cutting off access but of teaching our children how to navigate these platforms safely, critically, and responsibly – something called digital literacy education. The real conversation should focus on how we can guide our children through these digital spaces, providing them with the age-appropriate tools they need to seek out positive experiences and avoid harmful ones.
Rather than reacting to fear-based misinterpretations of reports like the CDC’s, parents should seek out the full story. Understanding both the risks and the potential benefits of social media will allow us to take a more balanced, informed approach to our children’s tech use. Instead of blanket bans, we should emphasize digital literacy, open communication, and emotional support.
While the CDC’s report acknowledges associations between frequent social media use and mental health challenges like bullying victimization, feelings of sadness, and suicide risk, it does not establish a direct causal relationship. Misinterpreting or oversimplifying these findings to suggest that social media use alone is driving suicide rates up can obscure the complex interplay of factors at play. Parents and policymakers should focus on balanced, evidence-based approaches when considering youth social media use, ensuring that interventions address the broader mental health landscape.
In today’s onlife world where disinformation spreads rapidly, it’s more important than ever to question the narratives we are presented with, and dive deeper into the data before drawing conclusions. To Quote Dr Pete Etchells one last time:
“That device in your pocket isn’t destroying a generation; whether you like it or not, it’s an integral part of it. So, the next time you see a doom-laden headline about the supposedly deleterious effects of digital technology, don’t just blindly agree (or even disagree) with it; instead, consider what the evidence might be for such a claim, and whether this presents an opportunity to think about how best to make screens work for you in your own life. After all, screens aren’t going away any time soon, so let’s make them work for us”
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References:
1/ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a3.htm?s_cid=su7304a3_w
