President Joe Biden signed a bill April 24 that states that TikTok’s parent company would need to either sell the app or that it would be banned nationwide.
During an earlier Congressional hearing on TikTok, Congressman Gus Bilirakis brought forward his concerns over the effects of TikTok on the mental health of children and teens. He told the story of a family who came to the hearing who had lost their son due to the content shown to him on the app.
The growth of social media and technology has brought along more concerns over mental health, especially associated with media usage.
96% of teens say that they use the internet daily with 46% saying they are on it almost constantly according to the Pew Research Center.
While technology certainly isn’t new, younger kids along with teens now have greater access to it. Almost every teen is seen with a smartphone today, and younger children are now being given phones and iPads.
Technology isn’t just disrupting children’s personal lives either. Schools have started implementing school iPads, TVs, and digital pass systems. With technology being a part in almost everyone’s life, there have been causes for concern over the mental health of teens and kids who use it.
Childhood and teenage years are especially vulnerable to mental health effects of technology. Teens and children are exposed to perfected images that can harm their own self esteem while also seeing cyberbullying online according to Child Mind Institute.
Personally, I’ve had my own struggles with technology. In a time where boredom is something to avoid, I find myself constantly doing something on my phone whether at home or in class.
It’s easy to slip into using technology as a time waste, whether it’s just simply using it for fun or for a type of escapism. Social media can feed into teens desire for attention, connection, and a way to be heard according to the American Psychological Association.
While I don’t think any form of legislation can truly stop kids from being on the internet, I think there is a lot that can be done both in individual homes and schools. Parents are the only ones able to restrict their own children’s use of technology and I think a lot of parents need to do so, especially with younger children.
Schools can’t fully get rid of technology as there have been improvements with being able to communicate more and do homework online instead of on paper but I feel that it is too relied on now. In almost all of my classes we’re on iPads or watching the TV and then when class is over, a lot of students go on their phone. Using the iPads aren’t always necessary in all classes; we should have breaks with no technology.
While technology has been able to do good for communication and innovation, it has disrupted many parts of our lives and our health. Teens and children have been especially vulnerable to these changes as their brains aren’t yet fully developed and can be susceptible to bad technological habits.
