Social Media Statistics
- "Nearly 75% of the world’s population aged 13+ uses social media.
- "Women aged 16 to 24 use social media the most, clocking in an average of 3 hours and 18 minutes per day."
- "The demographic of men most on social media is aged 20 to 29."
"Twelve and a half years old. That’s the average age at which a child opens a social media account. Growing research has found the more time a person spends on social media, the more likely they will experience mental health symptoms such as anxiety, isolation, and hopelessness. And according to one recent study, high levels of social media use over the span of four years was associated with increased depression among middle and high school youths."
https://www.dbsalliance.org/education/newsletters/tiktok-and-youth-mental-health/
"Social networks have a minimum age for use and this is specified in the network’s terms and conditions or terms of service. Creating an account to join the network indicates acceptance of these terms. The minimum age for most networks is set at 13-years-old, though some networks will give a minimum age of 16, and some will stipulate age 18 or over.
The minimum age of 13 arises from a US law known as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) which requires online services and sites to seek parental consent when collecting personal data of children under the age of 13. To avoid the complication of requesting parental consent, social networks set their minimum age requirement to 13 to avoid the COPPA requirements."
https://www.schoolofsocialnetworks.org/age-restrictions-on-social-networks/
"Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said the threat social media poses to children requires urgent action, and he demanded Congress to put a label on the apps as it does with cigarettes and alcohol.
“The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor,” Murthy said in an op-ed in the New York Times Monday.
Murthy cited several studies, including a 2019 American Medical Association study published in JAMA that showed teens who spend three hours a day on social media double their risk of depression. Teens spend nearly five hours a day on social media apps, according to a Gallup poll".
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/10/is-13-too-young-to-have-a-tiktok-or-instagram-account#:~:text=Major%20social%20media%20platforms%2C%20including,personal%20data%20without%20parental%20consent.
Algorithms: How They Work to Influence
"An algorithm is a series of mathematical steps, especially in a computer program, which will give you the answer to a particular kind of problem or question."
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/algorithm
"After a user watches a few videos in a row on the same topic, the algorithm seemingly becomes convinced that this is now their sole interest in life, feeding them with further options to view on the subject. Why is this so problematic? Imagine a teen spending their time watching a couple of videos about people discussing their battle with self-mutilating behavior. Their feed is now inundated with several more videos about cutting behavior. Continuous exposure to this can result in a person’s depression being progressively worsened by them watching a stream of such content. What’s even more disturbing is that social media content not only normalizes, but sometimes even promotes, self-harm and suicidality in youth.".
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-dangers-of-excessive-social-media-usage
The Reason Tech Moguls Don't Let Their Kids On Social Media
"Per Statista, there are also more than 15,000 children's apps on Amazon Appstore. With this boundless growth of apps to get kids using phones and tablets more and more, it might seem logical that the people who make the apps and devices would be onboard with their own kids using tech. But that isn't the case.
In 2010, a New York Times reporter was shocked when he asked Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, 'So, your kids must love the iPad?' to which Jobs responded, 'They haven't used it.'
According to The Independent, other major tech moguls have encouraged their children to spend less time using tech and scrolling through social media. An example is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who didn't allow his kids to have cell phones until they were 14, set time limits on their screens, and banned phones at the dinner table. Meanwhile, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki told The Guardian in 2019 that she will often 'take away' her children's phones, especially when they're on vacation. 'I want people to interact with each other,' she explained.
According to The Wall Street Journal, it seems that tech giants such as Facebook are well aware of the potential damage to kids caused by social media. In fact, Facebook's own internal research was previously leaked by a whistleblower that showed they knew social media usage could be harmful to kids, particularly for teenage girls".
https://www.thelist.com/677684/the-real-reason-tech-moguls-dont-let-their-kids-on-social-media/
Social Media & Women
"Most of the cons of social media that pertain specifically to women have to do with issues related to body image, or feelings of social isolation. Some of the most notable cons of social media for women include the following:
- Younger women, in particular, are more likely to try (unsuccessfully) coping with painful emotions or existing mental health conditions by posting humor-related content, or browsing pseudo-mental health pages instead of seeking treatment from a professional.
- Instagram use increases the likelihood of women developing body image issues, mostly due to unrealistic or photoshopped content created by influencers they follow, or their peers. Long-term Instagram use in women is associated with lower body satisfaction.
- Regular social media use is likely to increase feelings of social isolation in women, despite users typically attempting to connect with other people. In a study of over 900 people (around 75% of whom were women) ages 26-35, users who spent more of their time on social media reported increased feelings of loneliness and also showed symptoms of smartphone addiction."
https://thriveworks.com/blog/how-social-media-affects-womens-mental-health-negatives-vs-positives/
Some Benefits of Social Media
"Billions of people around the world use social media to share information and make connections. On a personal level, social media allows you to communicate with friends and family, learn new things, develop your interests, and be entertained. On a professional level, you can use social media to broaden your knowledge in a particular field and build your professional network by connecting with other professionals in your industry. At the company level, social media allows you to have a conversation with your audience, gain customer feedback, and elevate your brand." https://www.usf.edu/ucm/marketing/intro-social-media.aspx#:~:text=Social%20media%20platforms%20allow%20users,%2C%20virtual%20worlds%2C%20and%20more.
"Today, social media use is nearly universal among teens. While notable shares say they at times feel overwhelmed by the drama on social media and pressure to construct only positive images of themselves, they simultaneously credit these online platforms with several positive outcomes – including strengthening friendships, exposing them to different viewpoints and helping people their age support causes they care about."
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-social-media-habits-and-experiences/
"Social media is also a powerful tool for female entrepreneurs, female-only support groups, and for creating access to female-specific body-positive content."
https://thriveworks.com/blog/how-social-media-affects-womens-mental-health-negatives-vs-positives/
