Editorial by The (Sunbury) Daily Item | Balancing social media use an ongoing struggle

As cliche as it may seem, it really will take a village to protect children and adolescents from the potential dangers of social media and teach them how to properly navigate through the “fast-changing” world.

Weeks after the American Psychological Association issued a “Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence,” the United States’ Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last week sent out his own call for tech companies and lawmakers to take “immediate action” to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health.

Perhaps the most difficult hurdle to get over in this crisis is accountability at all levels.

While social media companies must be held accountable for what The Associated Press called a “harmful world of secretive algorithms, addictive apps and extreme and inappropriate content found on platforms,” some need to look inward as well.

Place as much blame on these tech giants as you want for tinkering with little-understood algorithms, but there must also be a significant increase in accountability at home.

Both those with access to social media — the kids — and those granting access — the parents — need to have a great understanding of the acceptable uses and potential pitfalls of each social media channel should look like.

Some states are already building a wall, limiting access to some sites to protect children of a certain age.

Those measures can be helpful, and paired with a proactive front line of parents and children working together to maintain a positive relationship with social media, can be a big step forward.

The problem remains that we don’t know what we don’t know yet.

“Our children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s impact,” Murthy said this week.

“Their childhoods and development are happening now.”

Today’s children have been using some sort of technology for nearly their entire lives. There is a dependence on these technologies, an over-dependence some could argue.

But the tools aren’t going anywhere, so safety nets are required. In his advisory this week, Murthy offered a series of tips, including the creation of “tech-free zones” at mealtimes and before bed, making sure children know they can reach out for help if you or someone they know is being negatively affected by social media, exercising an abundance of caution what you share online and for parents to model responsible behavior.

There are dangers and benefits of this ever-advancing technology.

Finding ways to best harness it, giving access where needed and barriers for protection, will require a difficult balancing act we must all be part of moving forward.

— The (Sinbury) Daily Item