NJ commission releases recommendations on social media usage for adolescents
A commission in New Jersey tasked with studying child social media use has released recommendations on how to protect children from dangerous social media practices.
The recommendations address issues such as cyberbullying, addictive usage, sleep disruption and mental health decline that may be linked to excessive social media exposure among the youth.
The commission, established through legislation signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy, was charged with investigating the effects of social media usage both in and out of school on adolescents.
The team was made up of a diverse set of experts including parents, principals, superintendents, child advocacy organizations, school psychologists and more.
The recommendations are simple and suggest that changes need to happen immediately.
The recommendations include banning cellphones at school, delaying access to social media until age 16, they are also recommending that social media companies restrict access until age 16.
Dr. Stephanie Marcello at Rutgers University has 2 teenagers and says every study shows grades are lower and kids' attention span is shorter when they are in a class with smartphones around.
"If you look at all the research on that you see test scores go down, you can see all the distractions," Dr. Marcello said.
But what about a flip phone instead of a smartphone?
"I would recommend that, definitely not before age 16. And I understand, you know, I'm learning my teens are on social media and if I could go back, I wouldn't have allowed it to happen," Dr. Marcello said.
She says kids suffer higher anxiety and lower self-esteem.
"We know the long-term challenges, kids are facing higher rates of anxiety and depression, especially with girls," Dr. Marcello said.
Additionally, Dr. Marcello agrees that social media, including TikTok and Snapchat, should not be something kids are on until at least 16.
"There is pornography. There are violent images and there are predators pretending to be 12 years old," Eyewitness News' Michelle Charlesworth explained to Dr. Marcello, who agreed.
Dr. Marcello says to definitely use technology and to get the phone store to set limits on their phones regarding what can be seen, and tell your kids it's because you care.
"We should be open and honest about everything. The more you can talk about anything and everything in a developmentally appropriate way in your house, the better. Nothing is off-limits," she said.
There is some very good news in all of this.
"Parents have a ton of power. You have a ton of power in what you allow. You know, we're still the parents, we have power to involve them in sports, activities other ways that they can be getting those social needs met," Dr. Marcello said.
She said to realize that kids are also always watching what adults do.
"Us modeling really healthy behaviors with cellphones and technology is one way that we have a lot of power," Dr. Marcello said.
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