美国国家公共电台 NPR--Social media can put young people in danger, U.S. surgeon general warns

Social media can put young people in danger, U.S. surgeon general warns

Transcript¹

Social media can present a real risk to the mental health of children and teenagers because of the ways their brains are affected² by the amount of time they spend using it, the U.S. surgeon general warns in a new advisory³ released Tuesday.

"Teens who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, which is particularly concerning given that the average amount of time that kids use social media is 3 1/2 hours a day," the Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.

According to the advisory, 95% of teenagers ages 13-17 say they use a social media app, and more than a third say they use it "almost constantly." The Social Media and Youth Mental Health advisory says social media can perpetuate⁴ "body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls."

Nearly 1 in 3 adolescents report using screens until midnight or later, the advisory says. And most are using social media during that time.

Do children and adolescents have adequate safeguards for social media? The data reveal that there isn't enough evidence yet to make a clear determination. "What we need to know is not only the full extent of impact," said Murthy, "but which kids are most impacted in terms of benefits and harms."

He called on tech companies, researchers, families and policymakers to do more to understand the vulnerabilities facing young people and figure out standards to help them stay safe and healthy.

"I call for specific action from technology companies, from policymakers, because we need safety standards for social media," Murthy said.

He joined Morning Edition to discuss the new advisory, what children are saying about social media, and what steps can be taken by the government to increase regulation.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Most kids tell me three things about social media. It makes them feel worse about themselves or worse about their friendships, but they can't get off it.

The bottom line is we do not have enough evidence to conclude that social media is, in fact, sufficiently⁵ safe for our kids.

And it's not even just the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. But we find that nearly half of adolescents are saying that social media makes them feel worse about their body image.

On evidence gaps in his advisory's research

What we need to know is not only the full extent of impact, but which kids are most impacted in terms of benefits and harms. We also need to understand more about the mechanisms⁶ through which social media confers potential harms.

On what needs to be done

I call for specific action from technology companies, from policymakers — because we need safety standards for social media the way we have for cars, for car seats, for toys, for medications, and for other products that kids use — [so] their parents have more assurance that these products are safe for their kids.

With safety standards in this case, with social media, you want to ensure that ... these standards call for measures that protect kids from exposure to harmful content, that protect them from harassment⁷ online, particularly from strangers.

What we need are standards ... and measures that reduce the likelihood kids will be exposed to features that will manipulate them to spend more time on these platforms at the expense of their health.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

4 perpetuate   

v.使永存，使永记不忘

参考例句：

• This monument was built to perpetuate the memory of the national hero.这个纪念碑建造的意义在于纪念民族英雄永垂不朽。
• We must perpetuate the system.我们必须将此制度永久保持。

5 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

6 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。