Psychology expert available to discuss new “Social Media and Adolescent Health” report

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a new report Wednesday, Dec. 13, on the mental and physical health effects from social media on adolescents. Written by a committee of 11 experts, “Social Media and Adolescent Health,” provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research related to platform design, transparency and accountability, digital media literacy among young people and adults, and online harassment. 

Douglas A. Gentile, one of the committee members and Distinguished Professor of psychology at Iowa State University, is available to discuss the findings and recommendations.

“The science documents that there are valid reasons to be concerned about social media and adolescent health, but we are not powerless. There are steps we can take as a country that will help us maximize the benefits while minimizing the potential harms of social media,” says Gentile.

For the “Social Media and Adolescent Health” report, Gentile made significant contributions to the sections on addiction and problematic use and the chapter on education and training for teachers and physicians, which recommends:

• The U.S. Department of Education should draw national attention to the importance of comprehensive digital media literacy and state boards of education should set standards for the same in grades K through 12.
• The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation should set requirements for digital media literacy education for student teachers and as part of ongoing professional development for veteran teachers. Teacher training interventions should be designed to allow for rigorous evaluation to measure their effectiveness.
• The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and the Council on Social Work Education should incorporate training on the multiple effects of social media on children’s and adolescents’ well-being into professional education.