The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on social media and young people’s mental health and wellbeing has published a report. Findings include: social media can have a range of positive effects, but children who spend time on social networking sites are more likely to have symptoms of mental ill health than those who do not; and social media is seen by many young people as having a negative impact on their self esteem. Recommendations include: establish a duty of care on social media companies with registered UK users aged 24 and under; create a Social Media Health Alliance to fund research, educational initiatives and establish clearer guidance for the public; review whether the ‘addictive’ nature of social media is sufficient for official disease classification; and commission longitudinal research into understanding the impact of social media on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Source: Royal Society for Public Health  Date: 18 March 2019

Further information: #NewFilters to manage the impact of social media on young people’s mental health and wellbeing (PDF).