Have you signed up for Threads yet?
Facebook’s (META) new social media app, called the “Twitter killer,” is taking off like a rocket.
In just five days, it hit 100 million users. That’s faster than ChatGPT!
Maybe your kids are already on the app, testing it out.
My kids? I’ll keep them away from social media for as long as I possibly can.
Not just because it’s a waste of time and attention.
Social media is horrible for kids’ brains. It’s just as bad, in some ways, as taking drugs.
The evidence is overwhelming. Psychologist Jean Twenge recently conducted a study into the mental health of girls between the ages of 12 and 15.
Below is a chart from her research. It measures suicide, self-poisoning, and depression among tweens.
Source: jeantwenge.com
Suicide attempts are up. Depression is way up.
Other studies arrived at the same conclusion. A recent CDC study found suicide rates among Americans between the ages of 10 and 24 have jumped nearly 60% over the past 15 years.
Look at that chart again. You can see something really bad happened around 2011–2012.
- All evidence points to the same suspects…
The lethal combination of smartphones and social media.
The iPhone debuted in 2007. But 50% of Americans didn’t own one until 2012.
That was also the year social media giant Facebook pivoted to a “mobile-first” strategy. This changed EVERYTHING.
When you had to sit down in front of a computer to check Facebook, you only logged in every so often. But Facebook’s iPhone accessibility allowed you to constantly scroll through your feed.
Whether you were commuting to work… cooking dinner… or nodding off to bed… your social media page was always right at your fingertips.
2012 was also the year teen depression started going parabolic. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Cambridge University researchers looked at 84,000 people of all ages and found social media was strongly associated with worsening mental health.
Other studies show ditching apps like Facebook leads to significant improvements in well-being, depression, and anxiety.
I could spend the next five pages explaining all the reasons why smartphones and social media are bad. They expose us to grim news 24/7… increase social isolation… and just one video of you doing or saying something socially “unacceptable” can ruin your life.
But the most toxic problem with smartphones and social media is this...
- Social media is a highlight reel of life.
It’s all pearly white teeth and perfect bodies. Luxurious vacations on clear-water beaches and $500 futomaki platters at Nobu.
This tricked teens—who spend up to nine hours a day staring at screens—into thinking social media highlights are what real life is like all the time.
In short, social media creates an unrealistic image of life. Teens look around and ask: “Why aren’t I lying on a Caribbean beach and staying in five-star hotels?”
And that’s not even the worst of it…
- Want to be a supermodel? Just click this button.
Instagram and Snapchat have filters you can apply to photos.
Most are silly. They let you do things like put dog ears on your head. But a new wave of “beauty” filters is like fentanyl for teen girls.
Check out TikTok’s new filter. It makes your brows darker, nose slimmer, and lips fuller. Here’s a before-and-after example:
Source: TikTok @joannajkenny
This is making millions of girls—especially younger and more impressionable ones—hate their real appearance. They want to look like their TikTok-filtered photos.
Now, teenagers are taking “l wish I looked like this” a step further…
A recent study from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed nearly half of patients reported social media played a role in their decision to seek plastic surgery.
This all comes back to the phones. Filters only exist because of the camera in your smartphone. And since you’re carrying it around with you all day, becoming a supermodel for even a second is just a thumb-swipe away.
- As a father of two young kids, this is what scares me…
Children used to be innocent.
Now, you have 12-year-olds asking their parents for lip fillers and Botox. More are depressed… and more are having suicidal thoughts.
Everything points to smartphones and social media being the problem. It’s a “mind virus” infecting kids across the world.
But what can we do about it?
First, I’ll tell you what NOT to do.
Don’t think it won’t happen to you. If your kids spend hours on their phones and social media, the mind virus will infect them.
Banning their phones completely likely won’t work, either.
Try telling your teens they aren’t allowed the one thing all their friends have (and use all day) and see how it goes. Becoming a digital hermit isn’t the path toward making friends.
Instead, you must lead by example. Don’t tell your kids to stay off social media while simultaneously scrolling through Facebook.
Show them with your actions this stuff is toxic sludge they should avoid when possible.
Here are five practical ways to do this. Insist your kids follow these rules, too.
- Don’t ever access social media on your phone. No scrolling, ever.
- Don’t play games on your phone.
- When you’re at home, don’t have your phone next to you unless you’re expecting an important work call. Put it in a special place so you won’t constantly check it. Be present.
- Turn off all non-essential notifications, including email. That’s what your office is for.
- Introduce a “smartphone swear jar.” Anyone who breaks the above rules gets fined $5 for each offense.
I’m working hard to keep my kids off social media and minimize their use of smartphones for as long as I can.
But the day will come when they ask for both. It’s my job to limit that desire in their minds before it even begins.
Dad’s never on his phone or engrossed in social media. I want to be like Dad.
If you’re a parent, where do you stand on this topic? Do you have rules for your kids when it comes to their phones and social media? Or do you think I’m blowing this out of proportion?
Let me know at stephen@riskhedge.com.
Stephen McBride
Chief Analyst, RiskHedge
In the mailbag…
We received another comment from a RiskHedge reader on Stephen’s recent Fourth of July note:
“I’ve been meaning to thank you for your Fourth of July message—it’s so much more important than anything anyone could say about this or that individual stock.
I despair at the self-hating madness that seems to have overtaken this country (and much of the West) and can only hope that sane and intelligent people like yourself will ultimately prevail.” —Jeff
