For children of colour and others who may not see themselves represented broadly in society, social media can reduce isolation. — Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
Social media’s effects on the mental health of young people are not well understood. That hasn’t stopped Congress, state legislatures, and the US surgeon general from moving ahead with age bans and warning labels for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
But the emphasis on fears about social media may cause policymakers to miss the mental health benefits it provides teenagers, say researchers, pediatricians, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
