Turn Off Messenger Kids, Health Experts Plead to Facebook
- 6 years ago
Turn Off Messenger Kids, Health Experts Plead to Facebook
“A growing body of research demonstrates that excessive use of digital devices
and social media is harmful to children and teens, making it very likely this new app will undermine children’s healthy development.”
And academic research, including a study released last week, shows
that the rise in smartphone and social media use tracked with greater unhappiness among teenagers.
The letter was organized by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy group
that has successfully pushed companies to abandon marketing like a Pokemon Go app that sent children to fast food and other stores, and McDonald’s advertising on the envelopes of report cards in Florida.
The app doesn’t have News Feed or a “like” button, which some mental health experts have linked to anxiety among teenagers on social media.
“Younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts,” the experts said in the letter.
“A growing body of research demonstrates that excessive use of digital devices
and social media is harmful to children and teens, making it very likely this new app will undermine children’s healthy development.”
And academic research, including a study released last week, shows
that the rise in smartphone and social media use tracked with greater unhappiness among teenagers.
The letter was organized by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy group
that has successfully pushed companies to abandon marketing like a Pokemon Go app that sent children to fast food and other stores, and McDonald’s advertising on the envelopes of report cards in Florida.
The app doesn’t have News Feed or a “like” button, which some mental health experts have linked to anxiety among teenagers on social media.
“Younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts,” the experts said in the letter.