Kids and social media: experts discuss how it's impacting their mental health

DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) -- The Montgomery County Board of Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (MCADAMHS) is reporting an estimated $23 billion is spent annually to make apps more addicting.

Staff at MCADAMHS and Dayton Children’s Hospital say social media is playing a role in kids' growing mental health concerns.

Pediatric mental health treatment is in such high demand here in the Miami Valley that the state gave Dayton Children’s Hospital $25 million to expand its behavioral health unit.

Psychologist Dr. Jackie Warner with Dayton Children’s Hospital explained social media itself is a neutral actor that isn’t necessarily good or bad, yet she said kids with underlying predispositions for mental health issues paired with traumatic events such as the pandemic are more likely to experience its adverse effects.

“A child who has a pre-existing depressive disorder, who has a tendency to become a little obsessive-compulsive about things, a family history of addictive behaviors and other addictions, who is biologically much more at risk for misuse of social media, and when collided with social media could experience some really negative impacts because they're already set up to fail, using the social media platforms and some of the features that can play to some of those conditions,” Warner explained.

Colleen Oakes, a manager with Montgomery County’s Prevention Coalition, said the growing need for mental health services has coincided with the rise of social media use and cyberbullying. She explained social media algorithms are designed to be like casino slot machines to keep both kids and adults coming back for more.

“Our brains actually get a dopamine release every time we use that. So every time you get a social media notification or a level up in the game, we get this reward, this feel-good chemical in the brain that mirrors what we get from substance use addictions,” Oakes said.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 92% of U.S. teens are active on social media, U.S. children start using social media around 11 years of age, and the average U.S. teenage girl spends over two hours each day on social media.

Warner said the way individuals interact with the world consistently leads to patterns of behavior.

“If your patterns of behavior is less face-to-face, social interaction, more withdrawal, then it can become your habit, and it can start to become your comfort zone. And that can lead to some enhanced anxiety symptoms,” Warner said.

Warner added some studies suggest adolescent girls are more at risk for depressive symptoms related to social media use, yet she noted it’s challenging to pinpoint how much social media contributes to it compared with other environmental or biological factors.

Yet the concern is so great it’s prompted a national reckoning on social media’s responsibility for the mental health crisis among America’s youth.

It prompted the California legislature to introduce a bill that would allow parents to sue platforms up to $25,000 for their addictive consequence. The bill has already passed the state’s Assembly.

Previous reports from the Wall Street Journal said Facebook was aware that the content on the app disproportionately impacted feelings of negative body image among adolescent girls.

Additionally, one study by Facebook of teen Instagram users in the U.S. and U.K. found more than 40% of those who reported feeling “unattractive” said the feelings started when using Instagram.

The findings outraged some parents and lawmakers, prompting Instagram to postpone plans to release an app solely for kids to use.

Yet, Warner said she is not aware of the pediatric psychology community calling on social media platforms to change their policies.

MCADAMHS published a Digital 101 Detox with a social media timer parents can use to help monitor their social media use and 101 tech-free things you can do this summer.

Yet, both Oakes and Warner said a large part of helping kids reduce social media use is leading by example.

“All it requires is you demonstrating the behaviors that you're hoping for. So if you don't want them thinking that it's normal and appropriate to have screens at dinnertime, you need to also put away your phone,” Warner said.

Warner added the most important thing is to open lines of communication to find out why your child is using social media and what purpose it is serving them. She added there are ways you can monitor your child’s social media on apps like TikTok by linking an account with your child’s.

“Some of the things that are really easy are turn off your social media notifications. You don't need to know every time a friend post something on Instagram or something happens on Facebook. You can check that once or twice a day. I know some people that even take it off their phones and will only look on their computers. We also recommend charging your phone away from your bed and not using your phone as an alarm clock,” Oakes added.

Residents of Montgomery County are encouraged to call the Crisis Now hotline to access services for mental health issues and substance use disorder at 833-580-2255.