Negative and positive effects
Research shows that social media can have both positive and negative effects on children and young people. On the one hand, it can cause insecurity or reduced concentration, for example. On the other hand, it can help them discover who they are and stay in touch with others. Both the negative and positive effects are small. The effects are also not the same for every child.
The role of social media in everyday life
Social media play an important role in the daily lives of children and young people. According to science, this has three important consequences:
More screen time means less time for other activities
The time children spend behind a screen is time they do not spend on other activities that contribute to their development. A lot of screen time means that children have less time to play on their own, play with other children and exercise. Screens and media cannot replace one-to-one contact with others. A lot of screen time can therefore affect social and cognitive development.
Children are more sensitive to addictive features
The goal of social media companies is to make money. That is why they try to ensure that people stay on their apps for as long as possible. To achieve this, they use features that can be addictive. It is already difficult for adults to resist these addictive features, but it is even harder for children and young people. They are more sensitive to them and often have less self-control. As a result, stopping is more difficult. The rewarding effects of social media feel especially strong to them, and it is harder for them to miss out on these rewards. This is also because smartphones are used everywhere. When children and young people do not use social media, they may feel as if they are being excluded or do not belong.
Social media can amplify events
Social media can amplify events. This is because online messages can easily be shared and quickly reach many people. It also plays a role that people are sometimes anonymous online and have less direct contact with others. In science, this is also known as the ‘online disinhibition effect’. This means that some people feel less inhibited online and are quicker to say something they would not say offline. In addition, social media can accelerate social developments, such as individualisation, performance pressure and polarisation.
Conclusions are difficult for science
It is difficult for science to draw clear conclusions about social media. There are three reasons for this:
Effects are difficult to prove
It is scientifically difficult to prove that social media affect the well-being of children and young people. Sometimes there is an interaction. For example, children who feel depressed or lonely may spend more time on social media to cope with their feelings. This may then make those feelings stronger again.
Research into the effects of social media on well-being often looks at short-term effects. But negative effects may only become visible later. If, for example, a young person spends more and more time online and has less offline contact, this may lead to social isolation in the long term.
The greatest effects can be seen at the two extremes of the spectrum. On the one hand, there are young people who are already vulnerable. They are more sensitive to heavy social media use and to its negative effects. On the other hand, there are young people who already feel good. They are more likely to experience the positive effects of social media.
Causes and effects are difficult to measure
It is difficult to demonstrate that social media are the cause of reduced well-being. There are also three reasons for this:
1 It is difficult to view the effects separately
Children’s offline and online lives overlap. For example, they may have online contact with their classmates. Conversations or arguments that start online can continue in the classroom, and vice versa.
2 The child’s personality plays a role
What a child likes and how they feel determines what type of social media they use and how often. At the same time, that use can in turn affect how the child feels. In this way, behaviour and feelings continually influence each other.
3 The physical, mental and social effects are interconnected
A lot of screen time can, for example, lead to less physical activity. This can in turn affect how a child feels physically and mentally.
Effects differ from person to person and over time
The influence of social media on well-being differs from person to person. It depends on age, stage of development, personal characteristics, media skills, circumstances, and how long and which media a child uses.
The effects may also change over time. Some areas of children’s brains develop faster than others. As a result, children are sensitive to the positive and negative effects of social media in different ways during different stages.