A new report has been published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists calling on social media companies to share data.
The report states that social media companies should be forced to hand over data for research so the complexities of mental health and online usage can be fully explored.
The evidence is growing linking social media usage with mental health but the research needs to be developed further.
It follows tragic incidents of teenager suicides after viewing harmful content and calls for stricter rules to be in place to protect people.
Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and co-author of the report, said “As a psychiatrist working on the frontline, I am seeing more and more children self-harming and attempting suicide as a result of their social media use and online discussions.”
“We will never understand the risks and benefits of social media use unless the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram share their data with researchers. Their research will help shine a light on how young people are interacting with social media, not just how much time they spend online.”
“Self-regulation is not working. It is time for government to step-up and take decisive action to hold social media companies to account for escalating harmful content to vulnerable children and young people.”
The data collected would be anonymous and include the nature of content viewed, as well as the amount of time users are spending on social media platforms.
Ian Russell, who authored the report’s foreword, who believes Instagram was partly responsible for his daughter Molly taking her life aged 14, is backing the calls “Two years ago Molly’s suicide smashed like a wrecking ball into my family’s life. I am in no doubt that the graphic self-harm content and suicide encouraging memes on Molly’s social media feeds helped kill her.”
“Without research using data from social media companies we will never know how content can lead our children and young people to self-harm or, in the most tragic cases, take their own lives. The government must enact these calls from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.”
The report highlights the benefits to children and young people using the internet and social media. These include obtaining information on physical and mental health, receiving support from online services and developing and sustaining friendships.”
Despite these benefits, recent NHS Digital data[i] suggests that young people with mental health problems may be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of social media.”
The government’s consultation on its Online Harms White Paper closed on 26th June 2019. It is expected to respond by the end of January.
