More than three quarters of children believe social media is damaging their physical and emotional health – but feel powerless to stop it.
According to a new survey, young people see 2,000 posts on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and other sites every day, with 72 per cent viewing ‘uncomfortable’ content that makes them feel ‘upset, sad or angry.’
Experts say that, although parents fear their children being exposed to one-off extreme violent or pornographic posts, in reality the ‘slow burn’ or constant drip from algorithms on social media is the real danger.
And the ‘creeping normalisation’ of daily posts featuring unrealistic body images or commentary from influencers disguised as role models is damaging their well-being, they say.
Although parents recognise social media is causing harm, they often feel overwhelmed by trying to keep up with what their children see online and instead opt for blanket bans, which causes arguments and conflict.
