“We’re in the midst of a national crisis in youth mental health, and I’m afraid social media is a major factor in this crisis.” In the past few hours, general surgeon Vivek Murthy of the United States, the top federal official responsible for collective health decisions, has issued a warning about the risks that minors are exposed to interacting with social platforms and considers them one of the top causes of depression, stress and anxiety. youth. There has recently been serious debate in the United States Senate about a bipartisan bill (i.e. supported by both major parties) to limit access to social networks to minors of a certain age group. For now, we are talking about children under the age of twelve. The name of the bill was changed to “The Children’s Protection Act on Social Media”.
Invoice
The bill targets the algorithms of major social networks in Silicon Valley, differentiating access and freedom of movement based on the age of the user. While generally intended as a ban for minors, the measure – for now – only bans those under the age of twelve and places limits on the algorithm’s effectiveness for users aged thirteen to seventeen. Specifically, it will prevent thirteen-year-olds from creating accounts on social networks, but allow them to view content, and limit the impact of algorithms on content viewed, shared, and sponsored by children under eighteen. The total ban – hence both accessing and viewing and sharing – will only apply to children under the age of twelve. All this with the prior consent of the parents, obviously for those who can create or use different media.
As a guarantee of compliance with the ban, it is planned to establish a government-managed program within the Department of Commerce that monitors access through the parent’s upload of the child’s identity document to prove effective user age. In this way, the government would enter directly into the online space, intervening more dominantly than what is currently happening. Work is ongoing to understand whether this offer complies with American privacy restrictions.
The bill aims to loosen social media’s control over teens and tweens and children’s mental health. The group of senators who wrote the text said that efforts by the main social platforms to counteract the algorithm’s impact were not enough, so – according to them – federal limits should be introduced. One of the signatories, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, explained: “These algorithms are increasingly polarizing us, abusing us, making us depressed and angry with each other. It’s bad enough that this happens to us adults, the least we can do is protect our children.”
The new “national crisis”
The latest warning from the US’s highest health official, Vivek Murthy, is based on the words of Senator Schaltz. These nineteen-page-long announcements are widely covered in the media in the United States and are taken very seriously because in recent years they have covered serious issues such as the risks of smoking, AIDS, and violence on television. loneliness and obesity. The last issue was devoted to the relationship between social media and child mental health.
“We are in the midst of a national crisis in youth mental health, and I fear social media is an important factor in this crisis that urgently needs to be addressed,” Murty said. What the federal health secretary explained is basically the cause-and-effect relationship between social media and childhood depression, anxiety, and sadness. Although this discourse, which shows social media as the cause of many mental disorders, especially at very young ages, is now abused, research on the subject has never reached definitive results. The reasons may be attributed to the very rapid change in the social structure and algorithm (and therefore the effect it has on the person).
The risks described by Murthy refer to a wide range of mental disorders: we are talking about anxiety, depression, chronic sadness, weakness, eating disorders, attention disorders, socialization disorders. But it’s not just psychological, but even physical, such as harassment, sexual blackmail, online pedophilia, and violation of privacy. The recommendations in the document continue to be about good education on the Internet and the family playing a greater role in controlling the various platforms, as well as setting limits on the day or at certain times (such as lunch). The statement concludes by citing legislation being debated in the Senate, asking the government to impose federal limits on the use of social networks for minors. The proposals refer to greater security and privacy by setting standards for minors.
However, the question remains complex and difficult to explain by simply placing social networks as the main reason. In between are other kinds of dynamics and problems affecting society. The ban on the use of social networks – in itself – risks turning into the opposite desire to “get something forbidden” and certainly does not hinder those who want to use the platforms: this is evidenced by the much-quoted term. Prohibition of sale and consumption of alcohol between 1920 and 1933. Regardless of limiting the impact of a particular technology, perhaps the best solution is effective education on the subject; It has revolutionized our entire being and way of life. The risk of imposing a new “technological ban” is just around the corner.
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Source: Today IT

Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.