LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27: Dr. Drew Pinsky visits the SiriusXM Hollywood Studio on February 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Excessive screen time may harm young people's mental health, according to an expert who has voiced concern about the trend in the US.
In an episode of One Nation with Brian Kilmeade on Fox News, Kilmeade and Dr. Drew Pinsky spoke about how social media has contributed to a rise in bullying in schools.
Reduced Internet Time Improves Mental Health
According to a Fox News report, Kilmeade cited research that found teens who spent less time online also had better psychological health. He wondered whether the rise in bullying incidents was attributable to the prevalence of smartphones and video recording devices or if people were just getting "more cruel."
In his opinion, though, it is pretty impossible to tell.
"We don't know, are the algorithms serving this stuff up to us because we looked at it once, or is this really happening? My suspicion is it's really happening. It is sad. If someone is manifesting that kind of aggression, they have to be dealt with a high degree of containment to help them - not to hurt the individual, to help them."
Kilmeade added, "You're not allowed to ask anything of anybody, so you can't tell an addict, for instance, who's dying of their progressive disease to come with me, or don't sleep there, or maybe you might want to try something else. You can't say anything to anybody, and that harms people so much."
Another research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that between 2011 and 2021, the number of adolescent females feeling gloomy or hopeless rose from 36% to 57%. Meanwhile, the rate of teenage boys rose from 21% to 29%.
Dr. Pinsky agreed that mental health is strengthened when one uses technology less.
He predicted that in ten years, people would see mobile phones the same way as they formerly viewed cigarettes.
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Congress Addresses Link Between Mental Health and Social Media
The apparent link between social media usage and mental health is another issue that Congress is seeking to address.
The Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing earlier in February titled "Protecting Our Children Online" to discuss the need to keep children safe when using the internet.
Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn have promised to act promptly to combat Big Tech's continuing damage to kids.
Kilmeade questioned Dr. Pinsky on his opinion of a bill introduced by Republican Missouri senator Josh Hawley to protect children when they use social media.
"I have lots of friends that actually specialize in screens for adolescents, and they all do the same thing with their kids," said Dr. Pinsky. "Limit [social media use] to an hour, max two hours a day."
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