健康

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory Contents About the Advisory3 Social Media and Youth Mental Health4 Social Media Has Both Positive and Negative Impactson Children and Adolescents5 The Potential Benefits of Social Media Use Among Children and Adolescents6The Potential Harms of Social Media Use Among Children and Adolescents6 What Drives Mental Health and Well‑Being Concerns:8A Snapshot of the Scientific Evidence Potential Risk of Harm from Content Exposure8Potential Risk of Harm from Excessive and Problematic Use9 Critical Questions Remain Unanswered11 Known Evidence Gaps11 We Must Take Action: A Way Forward13 What Policymakers Can Do15What Technology Companies Can Do16What Parents and Caregivers Can Do17What Children and Adolescents Can Do18What Researchers Can Do19 Acknowledgments20 Endnotes21 About the Advisory A Surgeon General’s Advisory is a public statement that calls theAmerican people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and providesrecommendations for how it should be addressed. Advisories are reservedfor significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediateawareness and action. This Advisory calls attention to the growing concerns about the effects of socialmedia on youth mental health. It explores and describes the current evidence onthe positive and negative impacts of social media on children and adolescents,some of the primary areas for mental health and well-being concerns, andopportunities for additional research to help understand the full scope andscale of social media’s impact. This document is not an exhaustive review of theliterature. Rather, it was developed through a substantial review of the availableevidence, primarily found via electronic searches of research articles publishedin English and resources suggested by a wide range of subject matter experts,with priority given to, but not limited to, meta-analyses and systematic literaturereviews. It also offers actionable recommendations for the institutions that canshape online environments—policymakers and technology companies—as wellas for what parents and caregivers, young people, and researchers can do. For additional background and to read other Surgeon General’s Advisories, visitSurgeonGeneral.gov Social Media andYouth Mental Health Social media1use by youth is nearly universal. Up to 95% of youth ages 13–17report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they usesocial media “almost constantly.”2Although age 13 is commonly the requiredminimum age used by social media platforms in the U.S.,3nearly 40% of childrenages 8–12 use social media.4Despite this widespread use among children andadolescents, robust independent safety analyses on the impact of social mediaon youth have not yet been conducted. There are increasing concerns amongresearchers, parents and caregivers, young people, healthcare experts, andothers about the impact of social media on youth mental health.5,6 More research is needed to fully understand the impact of social media;however, the current body of evidence indicates that while social media mayhave benefits for some children and adolescents, there are ample indicatorsthat social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental healthand well-being of children and adolescents. At this time, we do not yet haveenough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for childrenand adolescents. We must acknowledge the growing body of research aboutpotential harms, increase our collective understanding of the risks associatedwith social media use, and urgently take action to create safe and healthy digitalenvironments that minimize harm and safeguard children’s and adolescents’mental health and well-being during critical stages of development. Up to 95% of youth ages13–17 report using asocial media platform,with more than a thirdsaying they use socialmedia “almost constantly.” Social Media Has Both Positive and NegativeImpacts on Children and Adolescents The influence of social media on youth mental health is shaped by manycomplex factors, including, but not limited to, the amount of time childrenand adolescents spend on platforms, the type of content they consume or areotherwise exposed to, the activities and interactions social media affords,and the degree to which it disrupts activities that are essential for health likesleep and physical activity.6Importantly, different children and adolescents areaffected by social media in different ways, based on their individual strengthsand vulnerabilities, and based on cultural, historical, and socio-economicfactors.7,8There is broad agreement among the scientific community that socialmedia has the potential to both benefit and harm children and adolescents.6,9 Brain development is a critical factor to consider when assessing the risk forharm. Adolescents, ages 10 to 19, are undergoing a highly sensitive period ofbrain development.10,11This is a period when risk-taking behaviors r