Bills related to adolescent social media regulation have been adopted in more than half of all U.S. states. Research in The Milbank Quarterly finds that these state policies—such as school cell phone bans and anti-cyberbullying laws—have significant limitations. The study identifies research priorities that will help inform more effective interventions.
Because definitive evidence around the potential impacts of social media may take years to emerge, and because the absence of regulation may result in avoidable harm to the public, social media policies have to be designed in the context of imperfect information. In examining these policies, investigators at Columbia University identified three themes connected to state lawmakers' claims about social media-related adolescent harms: harm to mental health, exposure to dangerous content, and harm to adolescent development.
The researchers found some evidence to support links between social media use and negative outcomes, particularly for vulnerable youth, but overall, current research cannot definitively establish causal effects. They note that research priorities should focus on better characterizing different social media exposures and experiences, understanding relationships between psychiatric symptoms and social media use, and evaluating the impacts of different state policies related to social media.
"We're seeing policymakers move with increasing urgency to protect youth from the possible negative impacts of social media and digital technologies," said lead author and doctoral student Marco Thimm-Kaiser. "As technology continues to evolve rapidly, it is critical that policies intended to protect young people are based on rigorous science, while also striking a careful balance between thorough evaluation and timely policy implementation" added senior author Katherine Keyes, PhD.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-0009.70021
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