Abstract
In 2023, the United States Surgeon General published an advisory to bring an urgent public health issue affecting America’s youth to the nation’s attention. The urgent public health issue was the ongoing negative impact of social media on children and adolescents. The report revealed that ninety-five percent of youths aged thirteen to seventeen use social media. Exposure to harmful content poses a risk to their mental health, including body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, depression, and, in extreme cases, death. Their mental health is also harmed by predatory behaviors and interactions with malicious adults that target and exploit minors on internet platforms. Six in ten girls aged eleven through fifteen have been contacted by strangers on social media platforms in an inappropriate manner. Certain social media features, such as Snapchat’s “Quick Add” feature, exacerbate unwanted contact by suggesting friends of friends, exposing youth users to strangers and predators.
Included in
Communications Law Commons, Internet Law Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons, Torts Commons