Screens are an integral part of modern teenage life, but there’s little regulation of the types of content teens see and how much they view. Research shows that while online videos can be useful for educating and connecting young people, excessive viewing—and the sneaky ways streaming, social media, and other internet platforms try to attract and engage teens—can negatively affect their emotional and psychological development.
Who’s responsible for making sure that teens use their screens safely: The content creators who build algorithms that target and keep adolescents glued to them? Parents who should establish limits on the amount of time and type of videos their children watch? Policymakers who can hold creators and video platforms more accountable for how they provide their content?
In a new report released by the American Psychological Association (APA), experts highlight the latest science in understanding how video viewing of all kinds affects adolescents. Potentially harmful content—such as videos that focus on aggressive behavior, cyber-hate, body shaming, self-harm, suicide, discrimination, and other risky behaviors—can distort adolescents’ still-developing views of themselves and of appropriate social behavior. Studies show that teens sometimes mimic or adopt dangerous behaviors they see online, putting themselves and others at risk. Young adults bring different vulnerabilities to what they watch, and those already experiencing stress or trauma, for example, may be more sensitive and affected by content that focuses on these experiences. Those who are more sensitive to body image and emotional content may be negatively affected by videos that prey on these insecurities.
The report also provides recommendations for how parents, educators, policymakers and content creators all could, and should, play a more active role in ensuring that video viewing has positive, rather than harmful, effects on teen health.
“Parents don’t realize that in many…
