Illustration: Lazaro Gamio / AxiosExperts are increasingly warning of a connection between heavy social media use and mental health issues in children — a hot topic now driving major lawsuits against tech giants. Why it matters: Seattle Public Schools’ recently filed lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, Snap and others — which accuses the social media giants of contributing to a youth mental health crisis — is one of hundreds of similar cases.Driving the news: Some scientists who study technology’s effects on children say the negatives far outweigh any positives.”There is a substantial link to depression, and that link tends to be stronger among girls,” Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and leading expert on the subject, tells Axios.”The more time the teen, particularly a teen girl, spends using social media, the more likely it is that she will be depressed,” said Twenge, whose book “iGen” describes how technology has shaped Gen Z.The same is true for self-harm, Twenge said. “The more hours a day she spends using social media, the more likely she is to engage in self-harm behaviors — the link is there for boys as well, it’s just not as large.”Backstory: In a landmark ruling
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Social media's effects on teen mental health comes into focus – Axios
