{"id":19635,"date":"2025-04-02T08:17:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T12:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/?p=19635"},"modified":"2025-04-01T10:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T14:17:54","slug":"online-safety-youth-and-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/es\/article\/online-safety-youth-and-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Safety: Youth and Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the CEOs of the biggest social media companies were brought before Congress to answer for the devastating effects of social media on young people, Mark Zuckerberg turned heads by turning his own and apologizing<\/a> to a gallery full of parents who had lost their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moments later, in his opening statement, he said, \u201cThe existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health.\u201d It seemed, on its face, contradictory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to recent studies, 33 percent of girls<\/a> aged 11 to 15 feel addicted to social media, and more than half of teens say it would be hard to give it up. 46 percent of teens<\/a> aged 13 to 17 say social media has made them feel worse about their appearance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

64 percent of teens<\/a> report they\u2019re exposed to hate-based content either \u201coften\u201d or \u201csometimes.\u201d And nearly 60 percent of girls<\/a> say they\u2019ve been contacted in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerging Evidence of Potential Harm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing concerns about the impact of social media on young people have spurred investigations into whether legal action can hold social media companies accountable for potential harm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While definitive causal links are still being researched, studies suggest a correlation between social media use and various negative outcomes for youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overwhelmingly, the evidence shows that social media use is implicitly dangerous, and it\u2019s more dangerous for those who are young and impressionable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, Florida and other states are attempting to ban social media<\/a> use for younger teens. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has declared social media a public health hazard<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And numerous efforts are underway across the country to regulate or restrict the platforms in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests a potential connection between social media use and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n