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Surgeon General says children under 13 shouldn’t be on social media
While research into the impact of social media on children is still underway, there is a growing consensus that children under the age of 13 should not access social media platforms.
Minneapolis (FOX 9) – After the nation’s top doctor said 13 was too early to use social media, FOX 9 asked a local child psychologist to examine the effects of social media use and screen time. .
Many social media giants now allow 13-year-olds to participate, but these apps can be harmful. Dr. David Nathan, a child/adolescent psychologist at Allina Health, compared their use to alcohol and tobacco use.
“They are very effective in improving mood in the short term.
He said that social media apps are designed to put users in uncomfortable situations in order to get people to react, which is not the right environment for a 13-year-old.
“[The apps are] It’s not about building good relationships with people. They are not designed to help you learn skills that you can use in school, work, or any other area of ​​your life. They’re designed to make money for the organizations and businesses that make them,” Nathan said.
In general, he recommends that parents limit their children’s screen time as much as possible.
A new study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics explored the effects of screen time in infants. Researchers have found that letting babies watch tablets and TV can limit executive function by the age of 9.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages all screen time before 18 months, except FaceTime or video chat.
“We know screen usage has skyrocketed during the pandemic for different reasons, and I think it affects different people in different ways,” Nathan said.
According to Dr. Nathan, many parents are busy and use screens as a means of distracting their children. He said screens can distract children from what they should be learning, especially from an early age.
“We learn by doing. We learn from what we’re role-modeled. We learn by having experience. That experience makes you look at a screen inches away from your face.” Things that are funny, especially on screen, aren’t usually very good, especially if they are, and they accurately represent a healthy way for us to interact with each other,” Nathan explained.
If kids watch TV or tablets, Dr. Nathan recommends parents watch them together. He said it was a valuable form of quality time.
“Watching screens with kids, interacting with kids, laughing with kids, saying things like ‘silly’ and ‘funny’ are all ways to get kids to simply be in front of the screen. Parking is a very different situation. It’s yours while the adults are somewhere else,” he said.
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