Since the start of the year, three Quebec studies have demonstrated the extent to which screens – and in particular social networks – have harmful effects on young people. These platforms can be “extremely dangerous”, says a researcher who is sounding the alarm and calling for better supervision.
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Patricia Conrod is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Montreal and a researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine.
According to his most recent study published in January, social networks are partly responsible for the rise in mental health problems that afflict young people.
His research results, collected from 3,800 Montreal teenagers over a five-year period, show that increased social media use among young people is directly associated with lower self-esteem and increased symptoms. related to eating disorders, a very tangible finding in secondary schools (see other text below).
“Young people are going through a mental health crisis, they report anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal ideation in extremely high proportions. We can attribute at least part of this crisis to social networks, which are not supervised at all, ”says Mme Conrod.
These negative impacts on mental health occur during a pivotal period for the development of young people, adds the researcher.
In the United States, there is even an increase in the suicide rate among teenage girls. “It’s the reality, it’s not just young people who report experiencing more distress,” she says.
TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat have a greater impact on teens than television or video games because the content on them is shared by friends, which makes it more realistic for them, adds Ms.me Conrod.
“These young people may be exposed to a reality that is extremely skewed, which puts them at risk of concluding that their life and their physical appearance are worse than anything they see on social media,” she explains.
“Tip of the Iceberg”
And that’s just the beginning. The harmful effects of these platforms on young people go beyond what has been documented to date, adds this expert.
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg. We have not yet begun to measure the impact of exposure to fake news, biased content and how this exposure influences young people in their understanding of the world around them.”
With the development of artificial intelligence which makes it possible to produce content on social networks, without really being able to discern the true from the false, it becomes “extremely dangerous to interact three hours a day with these platforms”, affirms Patricia Conrod.
A better framework
This is why it is urgent to “rethink the way in which young people interact with the content of these platforms”, affirms this expert, taking inspiration from recent initiatives set in motion in the United States where a bipartisan bill was tabled in the Senate in order to protect minors on social networks.
“We must force the platforms to better control the content that is presented by setting up more effective barriers,” says Patricia Conrod.
The rules of the game also need to be more explicit, so people can make informed choices “following understanding how they may be influenced by this content,” she says.
“We know that young people don’t like the idea of being manipulated. We must give them control over how they interact with this content, by providing them with information on the potential influence these platforms can have on their way of thinking.
TWO OTHER QUEBEC STUDIES ON THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SCREENS
Since the beginning of the year, two other Quebec studies have documented the harmful effects of screens among young people.
In February, another study carried out by the Dre Mélissa Généreux of the University of Sherbrooke has demonstrated that young Quebecers who spend at least four hours a day on social networks claim to suffer twice as many symptoms of anxiety or depression as those who devote less than two hours to it. daily.
Professor Caroline Fitzpatrick, who is also at the University of Sherbrooke, has documented the negative impacts of screens on younger children. According to recently published research, each hour spent in front of a screen at the age of 3 and a half increases the manifestations of anger and frustration at the age of 4 and a half.
A secondary school takes action
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Karine Latulippe is a special education teacher at Samuel-De Champlain high school, located in Beauport.
The impact of social networks on the self-esteem of teenagers is felt daily in secondary schools. In Quebec, a worker has decided to make it a hobbyhorse.
Karine Latulippe is a specialized educator for secondary 1 students at Samuel-De Champlain school in Beauport.
Like colleagues in other schools, she observes problematic behavior in students who are getting younger and younger.
Young girls deprive themselves of food so as not to gain weight. Teenagers consume to be cool. Teenage girls have early sex, sometimes as young as 12, with more than one partner.
For Ms. Latulippe, it is the lack of confidence and self-esteem that is in question, especially since teenagers spend long hours with their noses riveted to their screens, on social networks.
“I think it really impacts their self-esteem and the choices they make. Young people are always on it, ”she drops.
“Unattainable” models
“When you’re a teenager, it’s normal to compare yourself with others to define yourself. But now, young people compare themselves with models who are unattainable,” she laments, particularly because of the use of many filters applied to the photos circulating on Instagram.
In an attempt to raise the awareness of as many young people as possible regarding these issues, Ms.me At the beginning of the year, Latulippe created a committee made up of students with whom she organizes various activities throughout the school year.
In April, a full week will be devoted to building self-esteem.
Conferences will be offered to all students, of all levels, particularly in connection with the impact of social networks.
“We want to make students want to love themselves as they are so that they respect themselves more,” says the speaker.
