Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents • Hacker News Board

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#291

Post by mlac » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:25 PM UTC

vulcan01 wrote: post #126

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #52

People should really read the research [1] and not this article as the article doesn't actually capture the scope and real impact of the research. The executive summary highlights: * Personal wellbeing drops, on average, as children move from primary into secondary school, and continues to drop as children move through secondary school. * We find a graded relationship between family income and all three outcomes thro…

As a high school guy, I have to wonder if > Engaging in physical activity was found to be more important for boys’ mental and emotional health is because (personal anecdata warning!) guys tend to prefer friends who are physically fit. This is just something I've noticed by observing my school; the stronger guys tend to have a larger social circle. However, this causation could be flawed, maybe physically active peopl…

Your guess makes some sense, but I'd say it could also be that people who work out more often are typically involved in organized sports and have to work out x number of times per week. Organized sports often have a built in social circle.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#292

Post by pedro1976 » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:26 PM UTC

Social media should be forbidden until the age of 18. Just consider beeing mobbed, you will be exposed 24/7.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#293

Post by superkuh » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:28 PM UTC

tgv wrote: post #244

superkuh wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If it was just opioids or ampthetamines, Obviously it's not. I gave examples of two drugs and their direct mechanisms of action. >But prediction of reward might very well be a concise description of the drive behind social media use. No, that's a description of a living mammal brain. Addiction is when that system is hijacked directly , not when it is doing it's normal thing in response to stimuli.

Then why did you write up that precise phrase? You're upset about what I wrote, that much is obvious.

I get you're concentrating on me not listing every mechanism of directly effecting the biochemistry of the reward and reward prediction substrates in the brain. But that doesn't matter.

The distinction I'm trying to get across here is that normal stimuli that are just perceptions are not intrinsically addictive and when you claim one is there is a need for evidence of the claim.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#294

Post by Nasrudith » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:29 PM UTC

scndalousarbite wrote: post #198

reaperducer wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of the things you list are unique to social media. They all existed before the rise of the socials. Many of them existed before the internet.

Nonsense. Social media and the sensational, vain culture it has inculcated it is entirely damaging and without value. It is _only_ revolutionary and disparages any prior merit and censure without reason. It is a denial of service on reason and experience claiming precedence and priority without any historical context.

I think you have the causation exactly backwards - the vain culture is what gave rise to social media. Japanese "social media" including forums and image boards are biased towards being nonentity as possible. Famous cat owners make efforts to be non-entity as possible compared to US ones often involving owner presence even if just dangling a toy and talking to the cat.

Japan sure as hell isn't perfect socially but they demonstrate that the source of social problems may be found in the mirror collectively and not in new technology.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#295

Post by Nasrudith » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:33 PM UTC

titzer wrote: post #24

Social media (and the attention economy) are worse for young brains than drugs. If you came up with a substance that caused young people by the millions to become totally addicted, cost them multiple hours per day, pushed them into depression and suicide, and contributed to inactivity, obesity, loss of attention span, and overall ennui, it would be banned almost immediately. Heck, if you proposed a tracking system th…

Worse than drugs? That is downright hyperbollic and hysterical especially given that many drugs can cause permanent brain damage.

I find it impossible to take the arguments for a ban seriously when they were recycled from D&D, heavy metal, video games, and goth and emo music.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#296

Post by FalconSensei » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:36 PM UTC

oblio wrote: post #236

Bodell wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is all personal anecdotal, and not intended to be a real argument either way. I have and have had internet in my house since I was 5-10. And I'd have to say: I'm still a misfit, social pariah, currently with no friends. Ironically the most respect (I mean this in the most basic sense of respect) I get from other humans is on here. But things were better when I was younger and worse now that I am 31. I'm not misr…

I'd say things are worse. Forums were a more personal experience. Fewer people, shared interests, avatars. Look at HN - how many commenters do you personally recognize, except for the ones that are popular because they're part of YC (so for things outside of this discussion forum) or because they also submit articles they're written (so again for things outside of this forum)? I probably recognize maybe 10 people, an…

> Look at HN - how many commenters do you personally recognize

It would be 0 for me.

Twitter is better for me in that way, but because is only short interactions, it's not like I'm close to them.

With forums it was way better, for me at least. It felt like family, and in 1 forum I was, we actually had like a 'newbie adoption' thing. With many people there, we actually ended up being internet friends, while on Twitter we might be more like acquaintances.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#297

Post by anarchogeek » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:37 PM UTC

just look at how it's been damaging to queer teens... oh wait... not they aren't killing themselves like before... neverind.

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#298

Post by causalmodels » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:37 PM UTC

pietrovismara wrote: post #214

nyanpasu64 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote @mumblemumble: """ There's another side to this, though. Letting kids roam the internet can give ones who might otherwise be doomed to become misfits an opportunity to find community. Being a queer kid pre-Internet, for example, sucked, and the Web rolling out to households changed a lot of kids' lives. And we have a poor cultural memory of what that experience used to be like, because, before the rise of on…

Social media are not the internet. If Facebook, Instagram and tiktok disappeared tomorrow, the internet would keep existing. In my opinion we would all be better, queer kids included.

Do you think the online queer community is better or worse after Tumblr's self destruction?

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#299

Post by johnfn » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:38 PM UTC

grahamburger wrote: post #277

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But you can't accurately assess the whole picture without taking the upsides into account, too. apologies but it sounds like PR from the tobacco industry before they got regulated. wonder how we'll look at this in 10-15 years time. the "let's listen to both sides" argument has no place on something this evil and damaging (not just to children) imo.

On the other hand, 'Social media damages teenagers mental health' sounds a lot like puritan arguments against rock music, weed, and video games from decades past. All of those things had legit studies done on them that showed harm, too. Honestly I think the kids are gonna be alright.

Well, sometimes they get things right, like (only stretching slightly) alcohol, which is not great in excess. You have to consider these things individually rather than trying to draw generalizations like "all puritan backlash is wrong."

Re: Heavy social media use associated with lower mental health in adolescents

#300

Post by anarchogeek » Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 7:38 PM UTC

pietrovismara wrote: post #214

nyanpasu64 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote @mumblemumble: """ There's another side to this, though. Letting kids roam the internet can give ones who might otherwise be doomed to become misfits an opportunity to find community. Being a queer kid pre-Internet, for example, sucked, and the Web rolling out to households changed a lot of kids' lives. And we have a poor cultural memory of what that experience used to be like, because, before the rise of on…

Social media are not the internet. If Facebook, Instagram and tiktok disappeared tomorrow, the internet would keep existing. In my opinion we would all be better, queer kids included.

doubt it.