Social media can hinder teens from discovering who they want to be. Banning it until 16 is a good idea

In recent months, a number of politicians supported calls to ban social media for children under 16 in Australia. Currently, children under 13 are not allowed to use social media.

There is research that suggests that social media can be useful for certain young people, for example by connecting them with like-minded colleagues.

That said, there are a lot of reasons for this proposed change. The most compelling is evidence that inappropriate screen time And use of social media are associated with poor mental health in children and young people, including depression and anxiety.

Excessive or misused social media can harm many areas of psychological well-being. But as an expert in adolescent development, I’ve explored one that isn’t often considered: identity development.

Identity development has long been considered the most important psychological activity of adolescence. You decide who you are, what you want to become, what underlying values ​​you pursue, and what you want out of life as you move toward adulthood. But could social media be thwarting this process?

Developing an identity

Between the ages of about 11 and 15, the human brain increasingly sensitive attention and feedback from peers. The parts of the brain responsible for developing perspective, judgment, critical thinking, and self-control do not fully mature until a person is in their early to mid-20s.

Teens have always compared themselves to others. They seek validation from peers as they explore their values, develop their personalities, and express themselves. But social media has provided a platform for adolescents, especially those with high levels of FOMO, or fear of missing out—to become obsessed with how they compare to many more people, including the aptly named “influencers.”

It can be difficult for young people to develop a clear self-image if they are constantly comparing themselves to and following others.

Similarly, young people develop many of their opinions based on what they see on social media. An individual’s tendency to conform to the opinions of others is sometimes called the “runaway effect.”

While much of the content on social media can be innocent enough, social media—just like the real world—are becoming increasingly political and polarizedwith little tolerance for opposing ideas.

Some teens may find themselves clinging to ideologies that are passed on to them through marketing algorithms. And we know young people can radicalize via social media.

Living in the public sphere

Who are you? How do you see yourself? Are you the same person in public, in private, with friends, family or at work? Would you honestly admit some of your deepest feelings to your colleague, friend or even your partner? And to yourself?

Harry Triandis, a psychology researcher who died in 2019, proposed differences between the “public” and “private” self that we all embodyMost people can imagine keeping their true opinions or values ​​to themselves in public or in an unfamiliar group of people.

Once we are confident that our way of speaking and the underlying value systems will not be misinterpreted, we begin reveal ourselves little by little. This process is the basis for forming friendships. And it is only in our most intimate relationships that we fully reveal ourselves.

Ask yourself, what embarrassing beliefs have you had in your life, especially during your teenage years when your brain was still developing? Perhaps you had stereotypes or prejudices that you now find embarrassing?

Your private self is the foundation for quiet reflection, learning and changing your thoughts. But today we see teenagers playing their entire lives in the public sphere, essentially skipping this step.

Not only do they often base their opinions on what they see on social media, they often broadcast them directly online. Later, they may be forced to defend these ideas.

In a 24/7 virtual world, there is less opportunity for today’s teen to think critically about what they see online, to self-reflect, explore and change their mind. There is little room to make mistakes, test boundaries, explore ideas and analyze information to forge their own identity.

These concerns are one of the reasons why many medical experts, parents and politicians want Limit access to social media for children.

While social media can still have a damaging effect on people over the age of 16, adolescence is an important period for the development of a young person’s identity and sense of self.

Research has shown that identity disturbances in adolescence – essentially an unstable sense of self – are a strong precursor to personality disorders as an adult. We don’t yet fully understand what life on social media does to identity development, but it’s vital that we continue to explore this area.

This article has been republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.