LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The first week of summer vacation is officially coming to an end, but have you noticed your teen on their phones a lot more? You may want to take notice as the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said excess social media use isn’t doing any good to teens’ mental health.
Adults often find themselves mindlessly scrolling through social media, from Facebook to Instagram to TikTok, there are endless social media apps.
“In the therapeutic and counseling world, we have been seeing these effects for a very long time,” Lindsey Paoli, The Mind Performance Coach said.
Paoli said these effects could stay with teenagers for a long time.
“You are seeing everyone’s best version rather than their average day-to-day life,” Paoli said.
It’s easy to envy the person who posts about their new vacations or new purchases, but the comparison isn’t healthy for teens. The U.S. Surgeon General recently came out with an advisory regarding social media and youth mental health.
“Social comparison driven by social media is associated with body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and depressive symptoms,” Murthy said.
Paoli advises parents to also put down ground rules regarding phone use and follow their own rules so it is easier for teenagers to follow their parents’ lead.
“For teens, they are still developing and creating a perception of what life looks like and so when we are messing with that perception when they are vulnerable we are setting them up for I would say damaging their development,” Paoli said
She also suggests limiting social media use to about two hours a day for your teen and encouraging more in-person group activities so they are not just connecting with their friends on screen.
