Social Media Harm Young Girls & Young Women

By Shlomo Maital  

    The American Psychological Association’s journal,  Monitor, publishes annually the top 10 research papers published in the 89 APA journals, based on downloads by psychologists.  The results for 2024 show what problems US psychologists are dealing with and what is on their minds most.

     You guessed it.  The harmful impact of social media, especially on young girls and young women.

     The #1 article, “Living for the likes” finds that “women who use social media more than others experience more fear of missing out (FOMO), social comparison and appearance anxiety.

        #2:   “Viewing images of ‘thin-ideal’ body shapes lowers personal body images for  women of all ages and self-esteem levels.”  You might call this a “Barbie” effect. 

        Both these two articles were published in Psychology of Popular Media, vol 13, no. 3.   

      I recall as a youth how intensely sensitive I was about how I looked (and I am a male!), to the point where I refused to wear eyeglasses for almost two years (those who wore spectacles were called four-eyes).  And this was long before Tik-Tok.   Social media greatly amplify sensitivity to body image.

      #3.  “Limiting social media use decreases depression, anxiety and fear of missing out in youth with emotional distress.”    The title of this article tells it all.  Limiting social media use to one hour per day for 3 weeks was highly beneficial.  This paper too appeared in Psychology of Popular Media (advance publication). 

        Wise parents are finding ways to limit use of social media among their kids. But the resistance is strong, because the algorithms used by the media are purposely insidious, fostering dependence and constant use, simply to make more money. 

         In August 2023,  Associated Press reported this:  BEIJING (AP) —  The Cyberspace Administration of China on Wednesday published the draft guidelines on its site, stating that minors would not be allowed to use most internet services on mobile devices from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and that children between the ages of 16 and 18 would only be able to use the internet for two hours a day.”

       China is an undemocratic big-brother society that limits its citizens’ freedom relentlessly.  But perhaps this regulation does make a lot of sense. 

         And last year, Australia, a highly democratic society, “…passed one of the strictest internet crackdowns in the world last month, banning children under 16 from being on social media or opening new accounts. The law, which takes effect a year from now, holds social media companies responsible for verifying kids’ ages. Not complying could trigger fines up to nearly $50 million.”

          The evidence is clear.  Social media harm the young, and not only the young.  It is up to us adults to protect them, even against themselves.  But I think we are failing.