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MPs launch inquiry into impact of social media on young people’s mental health and wellbeing

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing has today (29 June 2018) launched an inquiry to establish what actions must be taken both to tackle the negative impacts of social media use, and to maximise the positives for young people.

The inquiry aims to build on the work of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)’s 2017 report, #StatusOfMind, which found that although social media use has many potential positives for mental wellbeing, such as maintaining friendships and providing a source of emotional support, for young people the impact is primarily negative, fuelling feelings of anxiety, depression, and ‘fear of missing out’.

Polling conducted by RSPH in April 2018 on behalf of the new APPG found that more than half of the UK public (52%) say not enough is being done by social media companies to address the impact of social media on mental health and wellbeing, with two in five (41%) also saying the Government is not doing enough. Four in five (80%) say tighter regulation of social media companies is needed, with almost half (45%) saying this should be done through a self-regulated Code of Conduct, and more than one third (36%) saying it should be legally enforced by Government.

The APPG’s inquiry aims to determine what should be contained in any such Code of Conduct, and how it should be enforced. It will also seek out and recommend other progressive and practical solutions that can help maximise the positives and mitigate the negatives of social media for young people.

The inquiry will be open to receive written and recorded evidence until 13 August 2018, with a number of oral evidence sessions to be held in Parliament in the autumn. The APPG hopes to engage with expert stakeholders including academics, charities, government officials, social media industry representatives, parents and young people themselves, in order to answer four broad questions:

What is the latest evidence of the impact of social media on mental health and wellbeing?
What constitutes a ‘healthy’ and beneficial relationship with social media for young people?
What should be done by government and by the social media industry to address these issues?
What solutions can be provided in terms of technological innovation and education?

Organisations and individuals interested in submitting evidence to the inquiry should download the Call for Evidence from the APPG website at www.rsph.org.uk/socialmediaappg.

Download Call for Evidence

iHV supports call to promote the positive aspects of social media for young people

The iHV welcomes and supports the call from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and Young Health Movement (YHM) for action by the next UK Government and social media companies to help promote the positive aspects of social media for young people.

The RSPH and YHM have today (19 May 2017) published a report examining the positive and negative effects of social media on young people’s health; including a league table of social media platforms according to their impact on young people’s mental health. YouTube tops the table as the most positive, with Instagram and Snapchat coming out as the most detrimental to young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Dr Cheryll Adams, executive director iHV commented:

With social media becoming ever more embedded in the lives of so many young people, evidence is showing that there may be potential harm to young people’s mental health and wellbeing from heavy use and it is important that some action is taken to protect them.

As these young people become the next generation of adults and, ultimately parents themselves, we need to better understand how best to shape and use the digital future to improve connections and communications and minimise any potential harms. There are many positive aspects of social media networking. However, with some social media platforms being very image-focused, this may drive feelings of anxiety and inadequacy which, in turn, may impact a young person’s mental health and wellbeing.

Through home visits, health visitors are well placed to give support and advice to parents and families on many aspects of growing up, and the importance of mental good health and wellbeing of all children, from babies through to the teenage years. This can include advising on the benefits and hazards of social media and over use of electronic devices.

RSPH and YHM are now calling for action from government and social media companies to help promote the positive aspects of social media for young people, whilst mitigating the potential negatives. The report’s recommendations include:

Introduction of a pop-up heavy usage warning on social media – seven in 10 (71%) young people surveyed by RSPH support this recommendation.
Social media platforms to identify users who could be suffering from mental health problems by their posts, and discretely signpost to support – four in five (80%) young people support.
Social media platforms to highlight when photos of people have been digitally manipulated – more than two-thirds (68%) of young people support.

Download full report, #StatusOfMind

Read full RSPH press release