By Murray Sherriffs
Canadian digital technology experts and confrères from around the world say that the scale of technology use by children and young people is a public health issue that needs immediate action.
Their position is outlined in The Lancet where they say that the responsibility for keeping the young safe from social media and other digital technology is the responsibility of the technology companies and government—not users or their parents.
Co-author Jay Shaw, Canada Research Chairman, Responsible Health Innovation at the University of Toronto, says that efforts by parents and the willpower of young people, aren’t enough to address the“digital determinants of health” that are part of their everyday environment; that “society must think about the design choices and business models of big technology companies that have built these platforms that are crafted for engagement and to keep us on them.”
Shaw says that digital technology isn’t good or bad, but the way that social media companies make money is by keeping people on their platforms for as long as possible to collect data about their likes, what they share and what posts they come back to—information that can be used for advertising opportunities.
Tech companies have created a ”bottomless scroll. If the page you’re looking at has no end, it makes it much more difficult to close off that sort of activity.”
Targeted algorithms through social media and AI chatbots are designed to promote and recommend tailored content, which keeps young people interacting with the platform.
For many, those properties make it addictive and lead to problematic use, including being unable to stop scrolling, even if it doesn’t feel good anymore.
Depression, anxiety, sleep disruption and limited physical activity are documented harms to young people associated with problematic digital media use, in an “umbrella review” of 2,790 studies.
The review also found some health benefits—including a feeling of well-being—associated with “moderate” digital media use and active video gaming.