Social Media and Young People: Little Evidence to Support Perceived Harms

If you were to come home from work to find your children reading novels rather than glued to their devices, you’d probably jump for joy. Reading novels is surely a better use of their time than social media, right? Well, if you were a parent in the 18th Century, it would have been a different story! While contemporary commentators worry about the decline of literary novels, in the 1700s leading minds were terrified of the effects novels were having on people.  

The reaction of the public to new communication technologies are often historically labelled as ‘Moral Panic’. This is a term borrowed from sociology that describes ‘a heightened level of concern over the (supposed) behaviour of a certain group or category, and the consequences that this behaviour presumably causes for the rest of society’. The modern concerns regarding the effects of social media on young people today follow a similar trend to that of most new technology throughout history.   

Socrates condemned the invention of the stylus, as he believed it would negatively impact the quality of human memory recall. Closer to the present, radio and then TV were both claimed to signal the start of humanity’s downfall. Social media is just the latest in a long line of technologies reacted to with fear. As we have seen from these other ‘morally suspect’ technologies, this panic is often symptomatic of the media’s representation of the issue. In most cases, any purported negative effects are either significantly minor or are symptomatic of another issue.   

The Effects of Social Media  

Several studies carried out over the past few years has dramatically improved our understanding of the effects of social media on young people’s mental health. A recent meta-analysis, which examined the current scientific literature, found that in most instances there was little to no association between heavy usage of social media in three distinct areas: Mental health indicators such as loneliness, depression, and wellbeing; impact on academic achievement, and its effect on traits relating to narcissism.   

Mental Health  

The study examined several studies that have investigated the link between mental health and social media usage. Compiling these results, the authors of the study found that although there was a very slight negative correlation between social media usage and indicators of poor mental health. However, this correlation was not significant enough to be attributed to the overall rise in mental health problems within this demographic.   

Loneliness is one of the key concerns relating to young people’s use of social media. While face-to-face contact has proven psychological benefits, this study found that social media is also regularly used to cement and maintain close intimate relationships amongst peer groups. This may not yield the same benefits as in-person contact but obviously still contributes to overall feelings of inclusion and wellbeing.   

Academic Achievement   

Young people’s ability to focus on their education is often one of the biggest concerns in relation to social media use. Many people believe, and studies have supported, the idea that young people multi-tasking on social media limits the amount of attention that they can put into their school work.  

In this study, the researchers did find that when using self-report questionnaire’s young people were more likely to report that social media did negatively impact their ability to perform. However, when examining studies based on actual educational attainment, there was little evidence to suggest that social media impacts on young people’s education at all. In fact, in some instances, where social media was utilised as a way to communicate about school, then young people’s results actually benefited.   

Narcissism  

Individuals born post-millennium have sometimes been referred to as ‘generation me.’ The idea that people born in a world with TV, consumer culture and the internet has ultimately led to a generation that is more narcissistic and entitled than ever before. This term was actually first used to describe Baby-Boomers but the label has been carried forward.  

While the authors of the study identified that social media was indeed a breeding ground for narcissism, a causal link could not be determined. This means that although there is a link between narcissism and social media, it could be that social media attracts those with existing narcissistic tendencies rather than creating them. Interestingly, there were large cultural differences between measures of narcissism. Studies examining those in Western cultures were found to display fewer traits of narcissism than those in East Asian or collectivist cultures.   

Should You Worry About Social Media?  

We are now in an era where the children who were once arguing with their parents about the evils of TV are now the parents worrying about the effects of social media on their children. Obviously, excessive use of anything is likely to lead to negative results. The key for social media use, as with anything, is to keep things in moderation.   

While there is a growing body of research dispelling the myths surrounding social media, everyone’s circumstances are unique. If you are concerned or want to learn more about how social media is used by young people, there are plenty of resources out there. You can find a practical guide from Internet Matters, here.   

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