How businesses can shape the (safer) future of social media

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"A significant risk to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents." That's the verdict of United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in his recent advisory on social media and youth mental health.

As a former senior independent staff member of the Meta/Facebook Oversight Board, I find this advice, which is based on years of research, a welcome elevation of young people's use of social media to the status of a national public health issue. It is also an important call to action for businesses and investors to shape the responsible future of the internet. As I will explain, his findings reflect the difficulty for governments to take effective action, the technical challenges of balancing age-appropriate content with privacy rights, and the uncharted ethical and regulatory territory of virtual environments. It also underscores the huge opportunities for developing online trust and security as a critical business function.

The report is an antidote to both the unrepentant defense of social media platforms and the overblown criticism that attributes a myriad of social ills to its influence. Murthy takes a "safety first" approach due to the widespread use of social media; it's also a sensible approach, given the lack of clarity in the damage literature.

Murthy goes to great lengths to claim that social media, used by 95% of teens, has positive effects on a significant percentage of young people. These include social connection or support and validation of marginalized groups, including ethnic and gender minorities. This is an absolutely critical point that does not receive enough attention, especially given the increase in violence and vitriol directed against these communities in recent years.

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However, it also provides sobering statistics on social media use and "ample indicators" of its harmful effects on many young users. For example, “nearly 40% of children ages 8 to 12…a very sensitive period of brain development” use social media, and frequent use may be associated with changes in the brain related to emotional regulation and impulse control. Cyberbullying is also a major issue, with nearly 20% of teens reporting having been cyberbullied. And teens who use social media for more than three hours a day are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. The review also references "a nationally representative survey of girls aged 11-15" in which "a third or more say they feel 'addicted' to a social media platform".

The report naturally focuses on the United States. It should be clarified that research tells a different story in Europe, which finds an overall more negative association between social media use and well-being, and research finds a...