사진/ apa.org

미 보건당국이 소셜미디어가 어린이와 청소년 등 미성년자의 정신건강에 위험이 된다는 보고서를 발표했다.

CBS뉴스에 따르면 공중보건서비스(Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, PHSCC)는 보건복지부 보고서를 인용, 어린이와 청소년이 소셜미디어를 하루 평균 3시간 이상 사용할 경우 청소년우울증 위험이 2배로 높아진다고 발표했다.

미 공중보건국의 비벡 머시 박사는 “ 100건의 연구, 경고 및 설문 조사가 이뤄진 보고서는 소셜 미디어가 어린이 및 청소년의 사회적 웰빙, 수면 패턴에 이르기까지 모든 것에 미치는 영향을 조사했다”면서  “정체성과 가치관이 형성되는 청소년시기에 또래사회로부터 영향을 받기 쉬워 과도한 SNS 사용은 미성년자들의 감정·충동 조절을 어렵게 할 수 있다”고 밝혔다.

연구에 따르면 13세에서 17세의 청소년의 95%가 온라인 플랫폼을 사용하고 이중 3분의 1 이상이 소셜미디어를 지속적으로 사용하고 있다. 여기에 소셜미디어를 사용하는 연령도 낮아지고 있다.

머시 박사는 “많은 부보들이 자주 묻는 질문은 소셜미디어가 자녀들에게 안전한가?라는 질문이다. 물론 우리는 안전여부에 대한 충분한 증거는 없지만 소셜미디어가 청소년들의 정신건강에 악영향을 미치고 있다는 증거가 많아지고 있다”면서 특히 유해 콘텐츠에 무방비 노출을 지적했다.

머시 박사는 “따라서 정부차원에서 SNS의 유해 콘텐트에 강력한 규제가 필요하다”면서  “관련 법 재정비가 시급하다”고 호소했다.

Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health – PDF. While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.”

With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children. The Surgeon General’s Advisory is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ongoing efforts to support President Joe Biden’s whole-of-government strategy to transform mental health care for all Americans.

“The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids’. The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends. We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.”

Usage of social media can become harmful depending on the amount of time children spend on the platforms, the type of content they consume or are otherwise exposed to, and the degree to which it disrupts activities that are essential for health like sleep and physical activity. Importantly, different children are affected by social media in different ways, including based on cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors. Among the benefits, adolescents report that social media helps them feel more accepted (58%), like they have people who can support them through tough times (67%), like they have a place to show their creative side (71%), and more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives (80%).

— 보건복지부 보도자료 

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