Millennials may have been the first generation to grow up online, but their Gen Z successors really grew up with it — and rarely log off.
2018 Pew Research Center Survey We found that 95% of teens have access to smartphones. 45% say they use the Internet almost all the time. For many of them, social media was a space for self-expression, entertainment and connection.
However, due to the increasing use of social media among teens, depression, anxiety When suicide.. This relationship is not directly correlated, but there is evidence that some platforms exacerbate adolescent mental health problems. For example, an internal investigation document from Facebook The Wall Street Journal Whistleblower Frances Haugen has shown that Instagram has exacerbated the problem of body image in one in three teenage girls.
A Research in March 2022 Nature, published in the scientific journal Nature, found that the relationship between social media use and mental health varies with age, but there were two windows in which social media use was likely to adversely affect adolescent well-being. Did. Adolescent and around 19 years old.
Emma Lembke, a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, directly experienced these negative effects.That’s why she started Log off move This project aims to facilitate dialogue between young people who are feeling the negative effects of social media and want to coordinate their relationships with social media.
In a telephone interview, 19-year-old Rembke talked about the moves she started, the strengths and weaknesses of social media, and how she worked to loosen control over her well-being. The interview has been edited for clarity.
What was the first social network you joined?
I joined Instagram when I was 12 years old.
What was your experience of participating in social media?
I spent at least 6 hours a day on these apps and just unknowingly scrolled to absorb all these unrealistic body standards. As a result, eating disorders occurred. I felt sick about myself with the horrifying loop of using these apps, especially Instagram, but I felt like I couldn’t stop scrolling because of this strange power. Social media has served as a tool for amplifying negative attributes and emotions that I really don’t want.
Many recent news reports highlight the potential negative impact of social media on young people and self-esteem. How did those stories influence your thinking about the project?
In the first article I read, I really noticed it. How smartphones destroyed generations.. I found a study after studies showing possible correlations between eating disorders that are followed along with increased anxiety, suicide, and utilization.
What are the other factors that helped you decide to start the logoff exercise?
The most powerful thing for me was not research. It was the fact that no personal story was told and there was no epicenter where people could get together and say, “This is my personal experience.” “This is how I was hurt.” “These were the accounts that made me feel worse about myself.” I knew I needed it. The genie is out of the bottle.
As a Gen Z member, I understand that social media has positive and negative attributes, but with current usage, it can be really harmful.
How does the logoff exercise deal with these issues?
Through podcasts, leadership councils, educational curriculums on how to use online spaces safely, and blogs, we discuss how to advance technology and make it a tool rather than a controller.
What we want teens to do is to comfortably discuss their experiences. Doing so will help lawmakers understand Gen Z’s perspective, technology needs, privacy concerns, and mental health concerns. have.We have an advocacy initiative Tech[nically] PoliticsIt promotes legislation to ensure that teens have a secure online experience. Appropriate design code bill for the California era.
Your website says it intends to promote a healthy way to be on social media, rather than asking people to log off completely. What does a healthy engagement with social media look like?
I know I can’t log off completely. Healthy use of social media is an interaction in which users feel that they are benefiting and that their health is not compromised. It logs off mentally for a moment and looks back on why you are happiest and why you are on social media. If you don’t benefit at all, I say I’m the healthiest person on social media and the healthiest habit is to log off.
Having a certain degree of digital presence can feel inevitable in today’s era. But it doesn’t have to consume everything. How did you adjust your relationship with social media? What method worked?
Remove Instagram every time you have a stressful time on the exam. I know that during stressful times, I unknowingly devote myself to using it as a remedy. Another thing that worked for me is grayscale, which makes the phone appear only in black and white.
I always suggest Screen time genie, Provides a solution on how to limit screen time.I use Chrome Habit Lab, Helps save time online. It creates some friction between you and addictive technology.
Do you have a favorite app?
BeReal is my favorite. At some point in the day, you’ll receive a notification that it’s time to be real. And you take a picture of what you are doing. It feels like a real moment of someone’s day.
What feedback did you get from other teenagers?
One said he was hurt by spending six hours a day on social media. She said she got off and she was now better visible. She feels that the world is much clearer to her, both mentally and physically.
What changes have you seen in your own mental health as a result of limiting your consumption of social media?
I’m still working on OCD, a generalized anxiety disorder, but my symptoms, especially those around my body image, have really diminished.
What is the ultimate goal of this effort?
We really hope that these online environments will bring a kind of pivot that prioritizes user well-being. Technology is embedded in the DNA of our generation. We are pushing for regulation to make more systematic changes so that individuals can feel better protected and find healthier habits.
