Iowa State expert on national committee researching teen health and social media

In a recent survey of American teens, 95 percent reported they have access to a smartphone and even more said they used the internet daily — driven partly by social media, which new scientific research has identified as a threat to adolescent health.

“There are real reasons to be concerned about social media and adolescent health,” according to Iowa State University psychology professor Douglas Gentile, among 11 experts tapped to serve on a National Academy of Sciences-established “Committee on the Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Health.”

“There are real benefits,” Gentile acknowledged when asked for his main takeaways from the report on social media and teens, which his committee published last week. “But that doesn't mean there aren't real potential harms as well. That was the first take-away: that the science is strong enough to say we should be concerned.”

Having more complete scientific data is paramount in addressing the concerns. “There are steps we can take as a country that will help us maximize the benefits while minimizing the potential harms of social media,” Gentile said.

Compelling the research that brought together experts from the likes of ISU, Boston University, Georgia Tech, Stanford and the universities of California, Michigan and Pennsylvania was Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s 2021 document leak exposing the company’s knowledge of mental health harms.

“Facebook researchers frankly admitted, ‘We make body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teen girls,’” according to the new report, citing a Wall Street Journal article about the leak. “Of similar concern was the company’s estimate that 12.5 percent of Facebook users, or roughly 360 million people, report that they feel powerless to control their interaction with the platform, checking their accounts constantly, to the detriment of their health, work, and relationships.”

Although committee members couldn’t verify the methods and validity of that internal Facebook research, the document revelations marked a “watershed for Facebook and the social media industry.”

“At the center of this crisis was the perception that Facebook was willing to overlook the risks of their product and publicly misrepresent their internal findings if doing so advanced the company’s growth or market standing,” according to the report.

The charge

Thus the National Academies directed its own research, charging its committee of experts to tackle four central but broad questions:

The committee met six times from January to September, conducting independent information gathering and research along the way, which members brought back to the committee to consider and discuss, Gentile told The Gazette.

“We’re all experts in different things,” he said. “I was the person who understands addiction and what's been happening in the country with media literacy. There was another person who understood all the legal aspects. There was another person who understood the physical health aspects. So we didn't overlap in our expertise very much, which actually made it a really fascinating group to work with.”

They relied only on scientific evidence and research — leaving them with some holes.

“One criticism I got in private about the report was that it doesn't talk enough about what the companies are doing — but it’s because there's not scientific evidence about that,” he said, adding, “Part of this issue is what do we need to know more about? What evidence should there be?”

Findings

The committee found social media algorithms can influence health in several ways — like, for example, prioritizing provocative and sensational posts, exacerbating misinformation and fringe views and limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.

“These concerns can be heightened among adolescents” who have “less mature controls for good judgments and regulating emotions, especially in social situations with peers,” according to the report.

Social media can be especially tempting and trapping for teens due to their heightened sensitivity to rewards — like “likes” — and growing desire for independence.

The committee highlighted benefits of social media, including connection between friends and people who identify with underrepresented populations — like those in the LGTBQ community. Users also use social media for educational purposes.

“Another benefit that is so obvious that we don’t even talk about it is entertainment,” Gentile said. “There’s nothing wrong with being entertained.”

Directly linking social media with negative health outcomes is complicated — given vast differences in social media type, social media use, family and personal dynamics and mental health experiences.

“The committee’s review of the literature did not support the conclusion that social media causes changes in adolescent health at the population level,” according to the report. “Nevertheless, there are potential harms associated with the platforms, such as the ability to encourage unhealthy social comparisons, especially for teens who are inclined to view others as somehow better off than themselves.”

Recommendations

Gentile’s contributions, given his expertise in internet gaming disorders and media psychology, involved the addiction and problematic use aspects of the research and recommendations tied to education and training.

The report’s recommendations focused primary on systemic solutions — rather than giving parental or teen-specific guidance. “This is a government report to the government,” Gentile said. “So they are primarily recommendations to policymakers.”

Recommendations include:

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com