Whether it’s Instagram or social networks in general, their use must remain moderate for children and adolescents alike… Their effects on mental health are said to be more harmful than video games.
- It is the consumption of several media at the same time that would be harmful for children and not the simple use of screens.
- However, this remains a sedentary activity that should not be practiced for too long.
This Thursday, November 18, several American states announced that they had opened a joint investigation… The target? Meta, the parent company of Instagram. She is accused of allowing children and teenagers to use her social network despite knowing full well that its use could have adverse effects on their mental and physical health. These doubts follow the documents revealed by Frances Haugen, ex-employee of Facebook – who also belongs to Méta. It made it possible to make public the research commissioned by the company on its Instagram social network to determine the effects on adolescents. Among the findings: 32% of teenage girls surveyed felt that using Instagram had given them a more negative image of their body when they were already unhappy with it. And Mark Zuckerberg’s company knew it very well.
A survey to assess the endangerment of children
The purpose of the investigation launched by these attorneys general is to determine whether or not Meta violated consumer protection laws and put the public at risk. In detail, all of Instagram’s practices are being scrutinized by the courts and, in particular, the way the company could interact with young users to encourage them to consume.
Between 8 hours and 14 minutes per day in front of a screen
According to a study published in the journal Plos One, 12-year-olds surveyed spent between eight hours and fourteen minutes a day on digital devices compared to half for eight-year-olds. To achieve this result, 118 young people aged 8 to 12 had to complete a questionnaire aimed at evaluating their use of different media during the day. Observations of the researchers: consulting several media simultaneously could impact sleep and cause behavioral problems. On the other hand, those who only used the screens for video games did not have these harmful effects and even had a much more fulfilled mental health. It is therefore the multitasking aspect of the media that poses a problem for children.
Instagram’s version for under 13s abandoned
Last May, the attorneys general of 44 American states challenged Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Meta, to abandon his plan to create a version of Instagram for children under 13. The magistrates invoked a link between the use of social networks and greater psychological distress among young people, including the risk of suicide. A few months later, the boss of Facebook put this project on hold.
Behavioral problems, more due to social status than to screens
However, last September, another study published in the journal PLOS ONE enhanced the reputation of screens among the youngest. Indeed, these works estimated that children who spent more time in front of screens were only slightly more likely to have problems with attention, sleep or lower grades. Moreover, the risks that they suffered from depression or anxiety were not greater. With these conclusions, the scientists therefore called into question the supposed harmfulness of the screens. And all the more so since they also observed a greater close friendship network among children who spent more time in front of screens. For them, other phenomena were much more harmful for the youngest, such as socio-economic status, the impact of which played 2.5 times more on behavioral disorders. In any case, it is best to frame the use of new technologies for children and adolescents in order to protect them from their harmful effects.
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