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Trapped in the loop: The devastating impact of social media on young minds

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BY KAHA G.

According to childrenshealthdefense.org, “A 2021 CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) survey conducted on 17,000 high school teenagers found nearly a third of teen girls said they had seriously considered suicide — up nearly 60% from a decade ago.” This article explores the consequences of social media on teen mental health, highlighting testimonies from experts and advocates calling for urgent change.

The CDC has warned that teen girls face record levels of depression and hopelessness. “High school should be a time for trailblazing, not trauma. These data show our kids need far more support to cope, hope, and thrive,” shared Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H., CDC’s Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science. Big tech companies only make things that much worse.

In addition to that, the CDC mentions that 1 in 5 (18%) experienced sexual violence in the past year—up 20% since 2017 when the CDC started monitoring this measure. Also, more than 1 in 10 (14%) had ever been forced to have sex—up 27% since 2019 and the first increase since the CDC began monitoring this measure. Social media shouldn’t be the first thing that teens turn to after a traumatic event like this, in fact, a good chunk of these sexual assault cases is facilitated on social media.

Furthermore, this issue has been taken to Congress, as they are debating whether restricting Big Tech could alleviate this crisis. Several child safety-focused bills to reduce children’s exposure to harmful online interactions are being proposed in this session. The Children’s Health Defense has invited three people who have testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The three are: Emma Lembke (a college student and Founder of the LOG OFF movement, which promotes healthy social media use among teens), and Mitch Prinstein (Professor of Psychology and neuroscience and chief science officer at the American Psychological Association). Last but not least,  Josh Golin (Executive Director of Fairplay (a Consumer Advocacy Group dedicated to ending marketing targeted at children), and Sean Parker, Facebook’s Founding President (I don’t think he is there anymore due to changes over the years).

Emma Lembke talks about the severe negative impact social media had on her mental and physical health, beginning when she joined platforms like Instagram and YouTube at age 12. The constant need for validation through likes and followers led to heightened anxiety and depression. Emma also described how algorithms recommended harmful content, like pro-anorexia videos, which contributed to her developing disordered eating and a damaged sense of self.

Emma mentioned that it took her three to four years to realize the detrimental effects of social media on her well-being. Even now, she is still working to repair the damage to her body image and mental health. This experience motivated her to start the LOG OFF movement, which aims to protect other young people from similar harm. While Emma acknowledges the positive aspects of social media, she stresses the need for regulation to protect young users from addictive and harmful content.

Mitch Prinstein highlighted the alarming rise in youth mental health issues, particularly cyberbullying and discrimination facilitated through social media. He pointed out that social media platforms expose young people to harmful content, such as encouragement to self-harm or commit suicide. This content often includes explicit instructions on how to harm oneself and even how to hide it from parents. Prinstein emphasized the need for regulation to protect youth from these dangers.

Emma Lembke highlighted the unique position of Gen Z, who, as digital natives, understand the harms present in online spaces. Emma stressed the importance of sharing these experiences to protect future generations. She advocates for a mindful approach to social media use, encouraging young people to reflect on why they use these platforms and how they can protect their well-being online.

Additionally, Josh Golin argued that social media platforms cannot be trusted to self-regulate, especially given that no significant laws have been passed to protect children online since 1998. He criticized platforms for prioritizing profit over safety, highlighting the need for new policies that: protect teens’ privacy, limit data collection, and end targeted advertising to minors. Golin called for a duty of care, where platforms would be legally obligated to consider the design and impact of their algorithms on young users. He also emphasized the need to disrupt the current business model that profits from addicting young people to harmful content.

Finally, Sean Parker, Facebook’s founding president, admitted that the platform was deliberately designed to exploit human psychology by creating a “Social-validation feedback loop.” He explained that Facebook was built to consume as much of users’ time and attention as possible, using features like “likes and comments” to deliver dopamine hits and encourage users to generate more content. Parker acknowledged that this design not only alters how people interact with each other and society, but also likely has detrimental effects on children’s brains, productivity, and overall well-being.

The influence of social media on youth has led to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm. With platforms prioritizing engagement over mental health, we must address these issues through legislative action and advocacy. The ongoing efforts to reform social media policies highlight the potential for positive change. As we work towards creating safer online environments, teens need to reflect on their social media use and seek support. Immediate action is needed to protect and support the well-being of the next generations and take care of our current ones.

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Junior Contributors

Did you know that your brain actively shapes our reality based on what we focus on?

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Photo Credit: AI Generated

BY KAHA GEDI

How can the same day feel so different? Let’s explore two perspectives from Anna, a student, who experienced just that.

Scenario one:

“Today I had to wake up early for school, but I dreaded it because I slept late yesterday working on an assignment I procrastinated. Thankfully, I finished it before the deadline, but that didn’t stop my day from being ruined. I just feel like a failure for not doing better, and continuously letting not only myself down, but everyone else as well.”

“Additionally, I went through a lot today. I lost my wallet, which someone found, and if you think it can’t get any worse, my teachers gave me loads of homework. I just want to sleep and hope tomorrow will be a better day.”

Scenario two:

“Today, being mentally drained was an understatement. I procrastinated on a project and woke up quite grumpy this morning. However, I plan to do better next time and learn from my mistakes. I apologized to my loved ones for being cranky and irritable, which is a big step for me, because taking accountability is one of the biggest goals I’m working on.”

“Better yet, during my third-period class, I was called down to the office, and I was so scared, because I didn’t know if I was in trouble or not. When I got there, they said ‘Here’s your wallet, someone found it for you.’ I was awestruck. I didn’t even notice it was gone, and I’m even more surprised everything was there. This made my whole day that much better. I think things are looking up for me, I will try my best to work on myself, have a better day tomorrow, and deservingly get some rest.”

Anna had the same day, but these two scenarios produced very different outcomes. In the first scenario she focused on the negatives which completely clouded her day, but in the second she focused on the positives while also regarding the negatives as well. My question to you is, what kind of movie will you replay?

Did you know that our brain organizes our days into scenes like a movie? Just like how in movies, directors and editors decide when one scene ends and a new one begins. How does the brain choose? Christopher Baldassano (an Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia University) and his team made a theory that it is caused by major shifts in our environment. Whether that be: from home, to school, or the different classes in between, to a movie theater, to a cafe, entering a new place our brains create a new scene or boundary between those memories.

According to livescience.com, alongside that theory, they further hypothesized that “These boundaries are created by our own past experiences and feelings about certain events, or environments. So, while a change in environment can affect the segmentation of someone’s day, it’s possible that this influence can be overridden by our priorities and goals.” Which is what I was portraying in the beginning of my article.

To explore this hypothesis, they experimented. The study involved 16 short audio narratives, each featuring four locations: (a restaurant, a lecture hall, a grocery store, and another restaurant), and four social situations: (a business deal, a “meet-cute,” a proposal, and a breakup).

Volunteers listened to these narratives while their brain activity was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The researchers focused on tracking changes in brain activity, particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is responsible for perceiving and interpreting moment-to-moment input from our surroundings. They found that mPFC activity spiked when the key social events in the storyline changed, such as when the business deal was closed, or the marriage proposal was accepted. However, if the participants were instructed to focus on features of the locations instead, such as sitting down at a restaurant and ordering food, their segmentation of the events changed, as did their brain activity.

The study also revealed differences in how the volunteers remembered the narratives after hearing them. When the participants were asked to recall the part of the story, they were not asked to pay attention to, they forgot many details. This shows that our brain doesn’t just record what happens to us; it actively shapes our reality based on what we focus on.

I would like to conclude this article with a knowledge question provided by Christopher Baldassano himself. “To what extent does this [shift in focus] change the way that we either frame a story, or the kind of details they include?”

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Junior Contributors

The 3-3-3 Method; Stay focused, productive, and stress-free from start to finish

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Credits: Diana Grytsku

BY YAHYA KARIM

The 3-3-3 method is a simple yet effective way to structure your workday, helping you stay productive while avoiding burnout. It breaks your tasks into three phases: starting with the hardest, moving to fairly challenging tasks, and finishing with the easiest. This gradual approach allows you to stay focused without feeling overwhelmed by your workload.

In the first phase, you tackle your most difficult or important tasks when your energy and focus are at their peak. This is the time to handle complex projects, make important decisions, or complete any work that requires deep concentration. By getting the toughest tasks done early, you set yourself up for the rest of the day and avoid the stress of avoiding what matters most.

Once you’ve completed the hardest tasks, you move on to the second phase: work that is fairly easy and urgent. This might include tasks that are still important, but less mentally frustrating, like: replying to emails, attending meetings, or organizing information. By this point, your momentum is already built, making it easier to continue being productive even as your energy starts to dip.

In the final phase, you finish with light tasks that require minimal effort. These might include organizing your workspace, responding to non-urgent emails, or planning for the next day. Ending the day with easy tasks helps you wind down while still feeling accomplished, and it ensures that your day wraps up on a positive note.

One of the great things about the 3-3-3 method is its flexibility. You don’t need to stick to unmovable time slots, or hours for it to work. If you’re more productive in the afternoon, for example, you can adjust the timing to suit when your energy peaks. The important part about this method is the structure, starting strong with focus-heavy work, then gradually easing into simpler tasks as the day goes on.

Overall, the 3-3-3 method introduces a balanced routine to your day. By having distinct chunks of time for different levels of work, it helps break up the lack of variety to a typical workday, making it easier to stay focused, productive, and stress-free from start to finish.

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Junior Contributors

It’s a clever way to grab attention and make us want to eat

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BY KHADIJA KARIM

Have you ever been to a restaurant and suddenly felt hungry because of the delicious smell in the air? This isn’t just a coincidence. Like many fast-food restaurants, chain restaurants use scent to make us want to eat there. It’s a clever trick that uses our senses and makes us crave things we haven’t even thought about. Let’s explore how restaurants use scent to entice us. Why is it so effective?

Smell is one of our strongest senses. When we smell something, our brains can instantly associate that with memories and emotions. That’s why when it smells like freshly baked cookies, it reminds us of home, or a holiday. Restaurants know this and use scent to stimulate hunger and mood. It makes us more likely to stop and buy food.

Think about the smell of a pizza shop. The smell of melted cheese. Spicy pepperoni. Fresh, irresistible dough. You don’t plan on buying pizza, but the smell can change your mind. Like a bakery with the warm smell of bread and desserts. It makes your mouth water before you even look at the food.

Sometimes the amazing smell we notice doesn’t even come from the food being cooked. Many restaurant chains use machines to remove artificial odors. This way, the odour can travel further and be stronger than it would naturally. Popular places like Subway can use scent machines to make the surrounding area smell like freshly baked bread. Even if they weren’t cooking at the time, it makes a passerby suddenly want to stop and eat a sandwich.

These synthetic odors can be controlled and spread through vents, or even sprayed outside the restaurant to attract people. It’s like a restaurant sending out a message saying, “Smell this amazing food! Why don’t you want it? Eat here?”

Restaurants use scent to attract us because it works! Smells come to us before we even look at the food or look at the menu. Smells like those that attract what we see or hear affect us immediately and can make us hungry even if we’ve never been there before. It’s a clever way to grab attention and make us want to eat.

Chain restaurants use scent to attract us and make us crave food. Whether it’s natural odors from cooking, or synthetic odors pumped into the air. This strategy works. Smell has a huge effect on our brain and mood. The next time you walk past a fast-food restaurant and suddenly feel hungry, think about real food, or smells, they make your stomach growl.

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