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"A guide to parental controls on social media"

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"A guide to parental controls on social media"

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Parents/ Guardians criticize social media companies because they feel that many of these platforms don't provide parental controls or other variations of cybersecurity in a way that provides enough safety for younger users.

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computer science and information technology

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A guide to parental controls on social media | CNN Business

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A little over a year ago, social media companies were put on notice for how they protect, or fail to protect, their youngest users.

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Targeted advertising heavily influences what younger social media users see on a day-to-day basis. When a social media platform notices a series of patterns, the algorithm will show content similar to what , which can be risky and dangerous.

"In a series of congressional hearings, executives from Facebook (FB), TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram faced tough questions from lawmakers over how their platforms can lead younger users to harmful content, damage mental health and body image (particularly among teenage girls), and lacked sufficient parental controls and safeguards to protect teens...

The four social networks have since introduced more tools and parental control options aimed at better protecting younger users. Some have also made changes to their algorithms, such as defaulting teens into seeing less sensitive content and increasing their moderation efforts. But some lawmakers, social media experts and psychologists say the new solutions are still limited, and more needs to be done."

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The algorithm, for most social media platforms, affects what minors see on their main pages. In certain circumstances (when parental safeguards are not as widespread) minors can be exposed to content that is too mature for their age range.

With this social media companies are being criticized for their incapability to create parental controls in ways that are effective to their conditions.

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research states that certain types of traditional and new types of media that arent that prominent with age appropriate content can be dedrimental to their mental growth.

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Yolanda (Linda) Reid Chassiakos, Jenny Radesky, Dimitri Christakis, Megan A. Moreno, Corinn Cross, COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA, David Hill, Nusheen Ameenuddin, Jeffrey Hutchinson, Alanna Levine, Rhea Boyd, Robert Mendelson, Wendy Sue Swanson; Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. Pediatrics November 2016; 138 (5): e20162593. 10.1542/peds.2016-2593

Download citation file:

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Children and Adolescents and Digital Media

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Today's children and adolescents are immersed in both traditional and new forms of digital media. Research on traditional media, such as television, has identified health concerns and negative outcomes that correlate with the duration and content of viewing.

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These patterns of content are not necessarily healthy for minors to see. Additionally, social media has been proven to be detrimental to brain development for children.

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Can this possibly be a double sided issue? 

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Can this possibly be a double sided issue? 

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Sometimes it might be a better option for parents to not allow their children to use such platforms at all. Additionally, there have been numerous research articles stating that it's very risky for children to use these platforms when their brains are still in the developing stage.

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How much can social media companies really restrict?

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How much can social media companies really restrict?

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"YouTube has a few options, including "Restricted Mode" on standard YouTube and the curated YouTube Kids app; both are intended to filter out adult content. Restricted Mode is better suited for pre-teens and teens, whereas YouTube Kids is designed for pre-school and early elementary school children. Both restrictions can be beneficial, but they rarely go far enough to keep children safe when using YouTube."

There is only so much that these social media companies can do to provide age-appropriate content as kids can go around content blocks.

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It can be challenging to keep children away from inappropriate YouTube content. There are several billion YouTube videos (500+ hours of video are uploaded every minute), and 2 billion users log into YouTube every month - so how do we filter out all of the violent, sexual, manipulative, hateful, and otherwise inappropriate content that our children discover (often by accident) on YouTube.

What's more concerning is that many of these videos are aimed at young children, employing popular characters, deceptive titles, and search-engine-optimized language to maximize views from children who don't know any better.

However, there are some fairly simple YouTube Parental Control techniques you can employ to ensure that your children do not come across the millions of hours of inappropriate content on YouTube in 2023. We'd cover some of them in this piece.

Part 1. What Parents Need to Know about YouTube

YouTube has a few options, including "Restricted Mode" on standard YouTube and the curated YouTube Kids app; both are intended to filter out adult content. Restricted Mode is better suited for pre-teens and teens, whereas YouTube Kids is designed for pre-school and early elementary school children. Both restrictions can be beneficial, but they rarely go far enough to keep children safe when using YouTube.

Restricted Mode on YouTube is intended to filter out a wide range of inappropriate content by using automated filtering that examines a video's metadata and title and the language used in the video. Videos that have been flagged as inappropriate by other YouTube users will not appear when using Restricted Mode.

The following types of content are restricted on YouTube in Restricted Mode:

Natural disasters, war, disturbing news reports, and crime all feature graphic violence.

Use and discussion of drugs and alcohol

Inflammatory or demeaning content aimed at a specific user or group.

Sexual content that is explicit (including discussion or actual depictions of sex).

Terrorism, crime, and violent political conflicts are discussed and depicted.

Profanity and mature language include racial slurs, swear words and other adult languages.

Part 2. Use YouTube Kids App for Kids under 13

YouTube Kids is a separate YouTube app/platform that filters YouTube content and delivers it to children. Parents can select YouTube Kids for children under four, 4-8 years old, or 8-12 years old.

Unfortunately, YouTube's standards for filtering this content are frustratingly vague, stating only that: "The videos that make it past YouTube Kids' content filters can be very unpleasant, depicting suicide, Disney princess erotica, alt-right political rants recorded over video of popular video games, and harsh "prank" videos that clearly show kids being physically and emotionally harmed."

YouTube Kids, however, includes some additional controls for added security. For example, YouTube employs hundreds of human moderators who watch videos to ensure they are appropriate for children.

YouTube Kids offers curated playlists of these moderator-approved videos and channels from well-known educational and kid-friendly organizations such as PBS and National Geographic.
How to Use YouTube Kids
Download the YouTube Kids app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device to go beyond Restricted Mode and create an even safer YouTube experience for your child. The app is intended to display only family-friendly content (though this is not always the case).

After installing the YouTube Kids app on your device, a parent with a Google account can customize specific YouTube Kids accounts via the Settings tab to limit access to specific videos, only allow pre-approved videos, limit screen time, and more.

In Summary:

Create Profile

Choose Suitable Content (set Content level, disable Search, set approved content)

Schedule YouTube Time

Part 3. How to Set Parental Controls on YouTube

Enable Restricted Mode on Each Device

Restricted Mode, which hides potentially mature videos, is one way to filter inappropriate YouTube content, though YouTube notes that no filter is 100% accurate.

For Browser

1. Step 1.Go to YouTube and sign in with your Google account.

2. Step 2.In the top-right corner of the homepage, click your profile picture.

3. Step 3. Scroll down to the bottom of the pop-up menu and select Restricted Mode, which will be disabled by default.

4. Step 4. After you've enabled Restricted Mode, you can lock it to prevent others from disabling it. To do so, at the bottom of the Restricted Mode pop-up window, click Lock Restricted Mode on this browser. Then, log out of your account so that the next person who uses the browser cannot exit Restricted Mode unless they have your YouTube password.

Note :

YouTube's Restricted Mode setting only affects the browser you're currently using, not your entire account. If you enable Restricted Mode in Google Chrome, you must also enable it in Safari and other browsers.

Because you're just as likely to hand over your tablet or phone, make sure YouTube Parental Control is turned on in both the device's browser and the YouTube app. Follow the steps outlined above for mobile browsers. The premise is the same for the dedicated YouTube apps.

If you are iOS user, click the Account button in the top right corner. Select "Settings" and then "General." Then you can turn on the "Restricted Mode" filtering.

For Android user, access your YouTube/Google account. Select "Settings" from the "three-dot" icon. Scoll down to find "General" and then enable "Restricted Mode."

While this appears to be great, there are a few issues with YouTube's Restricted Mode.

First and foremost, YouTube's automatic filters are ineffective. Videos from the ostensibly blocked categories may resurface after a few minutes of browsing YouTube with Restricted Mode enabled.

Restricted Mode may block billions of videos, but disturbing content is uploaded to YouTube every minute.

The second issue with Restricted Mode is that it cannot be customized. Many parents do not want their children exposed to religious content, political content, toy unboxing videos, manipulative advertisements, violent video games, and various other types of content that can harm young people, particularly young children.

Because of these issues, many parents were dissatisfied with YouTube's Restricted Mode, so YouTube decided to create YouTube Kids.

Turn on Google SafeSearch

Restricting content with YouTube parental controls is fine, but please keep in mind that children have access to mature material all over the internet. Therefore, you'd better also enable the "Safe Search" filter in your child's browser.

Part 4. Monitor YouTube Activity and Make YouTube More Kid-friendly

As a parent, you may still worry about your kid's online safety. AirDroid Parental Control is a third-party app that can effectively monitor your kids' online activity on YouTube.

Social Content Detection: With this feature, parents can supervise their child's activity on YouTube. If the child's search queries, watched videos, or posted content trigger any set keywords, parents will receive alerts.

Screen Mirror: The Screen Mirroring function will help you check the current screen of the child's device and ensure they're viewing YouTube on the correct side.

Daily Usage Report: On the dashboard, you can review your child's device's daily and weekly usage, including statistics on screen time usage, most used apps, number of notifications, and cellular data usage.

App and Screen Time Management: You can efficiently manage the available time or period on the children's devices, set the total screen time, or set rules for specific apps like YouTube. You can even turn off all apps at once.

Remote Monitor: The Remote Camera and One-Way Audio allow you to view and listen to the surroundings of your children's mobile devices remotely.

Benefits of Using Airdroid Parental Control

Keep an eye on what your children are doing with their electronic devices.

Help children schedule reasonable screen time and app usage time, preventing them from becoming addicted to electronic devices.

Find your loved ones in real-time and ensure they are safe.

Part 5. Other Tips to Protect Your Kids on YouTube

Have an Open Talk about YouTube Safety

Many children are perplexed as to why their parents are concerned about YouTube content. Child psychologists and advertising watchdogs agree that having conversations with children about YouTube content is critical. In the case of unboxing videos, explaining to your children that most families don't open toys every day (and that the kids who do are paid to do so) can help them understand the content they're watching.

It is critical that we maintain open lines of communication with our children so that they can express their concerns about what they see online. Children frequently hide their disturbing experiences from their parents for fear of getting in trouble.

Educate Your Kids on Internet Safety

Age-appropriate conversations about the nature of the internet are critical for keeping children safe online. For example, children should understand that advertisements are frequently false or exaggerated, that much seemingly benign content is actually marketing, that predators can impersonate online identities, that downloading files can result in malware infections, and that hackers spoof real websites in order to steal user information.

Children can also benefit from open discussions about the negative effects of screen time, which can instil a sense of caution in them regarding their devices.

Utilize the Built-in Tools on Your Device

What Are the Best Ways to Protect Your Children Online? (Hint: It's More Than Just Screen Time Restrictions)

Users of Windows 10 can create a child account for their children. Parents can receive weekly activity reports, limit app and device usage, block specific apps and websites, and set purchasing permissions for their children on shared Windows devices.

Apple's Family Sharing feature is available for Mac and iOS users. It allows you to monitor screen time, set time limits for specific devices and apps, filter content (somewhat), schedule device usage, and share subscriptions and iCloud storage with family members.

Android users can enable Family Link, which notifies parents about all downloads and purchases (and gives them the option to deny them), location tracking, screen time limiting and monitoring, and the ability to block or limit specific apps. However, family Link is only available to users aged 13 and under.

Final Words

If your kids are really into YouTube, you'll need to plan. First, explore the videos - watching with your children or alone, monitoring with third-party apps such as Airdroid Parental Control, and so on. Because all of the content is user-generated, you never know what will appear on any given channel.

Then you can follow the step-by-step guide to set YouTube Parental Control.

Hottest Question Related to YouTube Parental Controls

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YouTube Parental Controls: The Ultimate Guide for Parents

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Parents can enable YouTube parental control by enabling Restricted Mode or use YouTube Kids. Follow the step-by-step guide to set full parental control.

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Parental Monitoring: What can parents do to protect their kids when parental-controls aren't of much use? 

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Parental Monitoring: What can parents do to protect their kids when parental-controls aren't of much use? 

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An important idea to consider is that it should also be up to the parent to be able to restrict the use of social media for their younger children because there is only so much that these social media companies can do to restrict. Minors are usually curious at their young ages and manage to get around parental controls resulting in their exposure to non-age-appropriate content.

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A multipronged approach to social media management, including time limits, parental monitoring and supervision, and ongoing discussions about social media can help parents protect teens' brain development

Cite this

American Psychological Association. (2023, May 9). Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids. https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/social-media-parent-tips

Social media can help teenagers with healthy development but it can also create risks. Psychological research shows it is critically important to focus on how teens use social media and the type of content they see.

As a parent or caregiver, you are the expert on your child. You know what experiences will fit with their strengths and areas of vulnerability. These recommendations are based on research and will help you and your teens be smart users of social media, avoiding the harms, and gaining maximum benefits.

1. Recognize developing brains may be especially vulnerable to specific social media features.

Communicating with friends on social media can be helpful for child development, including a chance to learn new social skills and complex relationships. But the like button and use of artificial intelligence to promote excessive scrolling may be dangerous for developing brains.

Adolescent brain development generally starts before puberty, around age 10, and lasts through early adulthood. This is an important phase of growth during which the brain undergoes dramatic developmental changes. In early adolescence, brain regions associated with a desire for attention from peers become increasingly sensitive. Social media may exploit that desire. Meanwhile, brain areas important for self-control don't fully develop until early adulthood. When thinking about the use of social media in your family, it's important to recognize the unique vulnerabilities of adolescent brains. Your guidelines around social media use should evolve as children mature.

What to do: Limit social media use on platforms that include counts of likes or encourage excessive use. Use screen time settings available on most devices or on platforms to help teens set limits and learn self-control. Prohibit screen time that interferes with at least 8 hours of sleep a night to ensure healthy brain development among teens.
[Related: How to teach social media literacy to teens: A Q&A with Mitch Prinstein, PhD]

2. Monitor and discuss your child's social media use.

Parents should take a multipronged approach to social media management, including time limits, parental monitoring and supervision, and ongoing discussions about social media.

As noted above, time limits can help teens with self-control and encourage moderate social media use. Limiting chat functions, especially among strangers, and limiting exposure to adult content is also recommended. Particularly for younger teens, parents may consider allowing social media use only when children are at home so that parents can keep a closer eye on their online activities.

In addition, adult monitoring of social media postings and content viewed is advised, especially in early adolescence. Unsupervised social media use is more likely to expose children to potentially harmful content and features of social media. Scientific studies demonstrate it is also critical for parents to engage in ongoing discussions with adolescents about how to use social media in safe and helpful ways. This is hard for many parents and caregivers since some of these platforms and their functions are unfamiliar to many adults today.

What to do: Talk to your teen weekly about how social media platforms work so they feel safe telling you about their experiences without judgment. Ask them what they saw on social media, how they understand what was posted, and pose hypothetical questions to them to learn how they would respond to various situations they might encounter online.
[Related: Reducing social media use significantly improves body image in teens, young adults]

3. Model healthy social media use.

Research studies show teens learn some social media behavior and attitudes from their parents. It is important for adults to model healthy social media use in their own lives. To model good digital behavior, avoid using social media when at the dinner table or engaging in family time, and make sure your conversations about social media reflect the ways you want them to feel about social media use.

What to do: Discuss how and why you use social media with your children. Set limits for social media use for yourselves and encourage your children to follow your example. Take social media holidays as a family and discuss the challenges and temptations you all experience when away from social media for a long time.

4. Watch for problematic social media use.

Keep an eye out for signs your child may be using social media in unhealthy ways. Your child's social media use might be causing problems if:

It interferes with their daily routines and commitments, such as school, work, friendships, and extracurricular activities.

They often choose social media over in-person social interactions.

It prevents them from getting at least 8 hours of quality sleep each night.

It prevents them from engaging in regular physical activity.

They keep using social media even when they express a desire to stop.

They experience strong cravings to check social media.

They lie or use deceptive behavior to spend time online.

What to do: Ask your child if any of these statements above are true for them. If you are concerned your child is dependent on social media or using it in unhealthy ways, consider enforcing new limits around accessing this technology. If you suspect your child is experiencing psychological harm or you are having difficulty managing your child's social media use, a mental health professional may be able to help you find healthier ways to engage with the digital world.

5. Teach social media literacy.

Social media platforms, schools, and teens can all play a role in teaching social media literacy. Parents and caregivers can help. See APA's recommendations for areas of social media literacy that will help adolescents have more positive experiences, and reduce risks online, based on the available science to date.

To learn more about the research behind these recommendations, see APA's Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence.

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Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids

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A multipronged approach to social media management, including time limits, parental monitoring and supervision, and ongoing discussions about social media can help parents protect teens' brain development.

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"Mobile apps designed to help parents keep their children safe from online predators may actually be counterproductive, harming the trust between a parent and child and reducing the child’s ability to respond to online threats, conclude two new studies from the University of Central Florida."

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University of Central Florida News | UCF Today

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Mobile apps designed to help parents keep their children safe from online predators may actually be counterproductive, harming the trust between a parent and child and reducing the child's ability to respond to online threats, conclude two new studies from the University of Central Florida.

According to the national Crimes Against Children Research Center, 23 percent of youth have experienced accidental exposure to internet pornography. Another 11 percent have been victims of online harassment and 9 percent report receiving unwanted sexual solicitations online

In a pair of studies led by the University of Central Florida, researchers examined the types of parents who use parental-control apps on their teen's mobile smartphone, whether the apps actually helped keep teens safe online, and what teens and younger children thought about their parents using these apps.

For a generation that has grown up with network technology and uses it for almost every facet of their lives, from completing homework assignments to connecting with friends and sharing personal information, the results of this research may be life changing.

The research team found that authoritarian parents, who were less responsive to their teen's need for autonomy, were the most likely to use the parental control apps, and the use of these apps was associated with teens experiencing more, not fewer, online risks, including unwanted explicit content, harassment and online sexual solicitations. This NSF-funded study was based on a survey of 215 parent-and-teen pairs in the United States.

"Parental involvement and direct supervision were both associated with fewer peer problems and less online victimization for teens, but neither of these factors correlated with the use of parental control apps," said Arup Kumar Ghosh, a doctoral student in UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science, who conducted this research as part of his dissertation.

"The fear that teens will fall victim to unthinkable online dangers persists, and our research is challenging the current solutions for protecting teens online by tightening the reins. Instead, we suggest empowering teens to be agents of their own online safety," said Pamela Wisniewski, an assistant professor of engineering and computer science, who is an expert on adolescent online safety and advises Ghosh.

"Our findings suggest that most parental-control apps are just that-apps that attempt to control what teens can do online, but ultimately do little to keep them safe online," said Wisniewski.

In the second study, Ghosh, Wisniewski and their collaborators wanted to know how teens and younger children felt about these parental-control apps. The researchers analyzed 736 publicly posted reviews written by teens and younger children for parental-control apps available for download on Google Play.

They found that approximately 79 percent of the reviews written by children rated the apps at either two stars or less out of a possible five. Further analysis uncovered three major themes behind the negative ratings - children found the apps overly restrictive, were an invasion of their personal privacy, and supported "lazy" or bad parenting instead of improving communication channels between them and their parents. The children explained that the apps prevented them from doing everyday tasks, such as homework assignments, and turned their parents into "stalkers."

"Teens, and even younger children, told us loudly and clearly that they would rather their parents talk to them than use parental control apps," Ghosh said. "Not because they wanted to get away with something bad, but because they wanted their parents' trust and respect."

Wisniewski added, "The more fearful we are as parents the more tightly we tend to hold on. In some cases, that can mean our children are not learning how to manage risk on their own."

By trying to completely shield teens from experiencing any and all online risks, some parents are keeping teens from developing the necessary coping mechanisms that they will need throughout their lives, the researchers suggested.

The researchers concluded that more parental control does not ensure teen safety and that a certain amount of autonomy in allowing teenagers to make appropriate decisions may be the best approach for parenting.

Future app designs should consider incorporating features that support engaged parenting and teach teens how to more effectively manage online risks. These studies suggest that children, particularly teens, should play a pivotal role in the design and development of mobile apps designed to keep them safe online.

Both research studies will be presented at the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Montreal this month.

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How Parental-Control Apps May be Counterproductive

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Mobile apps designed to help parents keep children safe from online predators may breed distrust and reduce children's ability to respond to online threats.

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World Health Organization: "Mental Health of Adolescents"

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World Health Organization: "Mental Health of Adolescents"

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"Media influence and gender norms can exacerbate the disparity between an adolescent’s lived reality and their perceptions or aspirations for the future."

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Introduction

One in six people are aged 10-19 years. Adolescence is a unique and formative time. Physical, emotional and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse, or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Protecting adolescents from adversity, promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being, and ensuring access to mental health care are critical for their health and well-being during adolescence and adulthood.

Globally, it is estimated that 1 in 7 (14%) 10-19 year-olds experience mental health conditions (1), yet these remain largely unrecognized and untreated.

Adolescents with mental health conditions are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma (affecting readiness to seek help), educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviours, physical ill-health and human rights violations.

Mental health determinants

Adolescence is a crucial period for developing social and emotional habits important for mental well-being. These include adopting healthy sleep patterns; exercising regularly; developing coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills; and learning to manage emotions. Protective and supportive environments in the family, at school and in the wider community are important.

Multiple factors affect mental health. The more risk factors adolescents are exposed to, the greater the potential impact on their mental health. Factors that can contribute to stress during adolescence include exposure to adversity, pressure to conform with peers and exploration of identity. Media influence and gender norms can exacerbate the disparity between an adolescent's lived reality and their perceptions or aspirations for the future. Other important determinants include the quality of their home life and relationships with peers. Violence (especially sexual violence and bullying), harsh parenting and severe and socioeconomic problems are recognized risks to mental health.

Some adolescents are at greater risk of mental health conditions due to their living conditions, stigma, discrimination or exclusion, or lack of access to quality support and services. These include adolescents living in humanitarian and fragile settings; adolescents with chronic illness, autism spectrum disorder, an intellectual disability or other neurological condition; pregnant adolescents, adolescent parents, or those in early or forced marriages; orphans; and adolescents from minority ethnic or sexual backgrounds or other discriminated groups.

Emotional disorders

Emotional disorders are common among adolescents. Anxiety disorders (which may involve panic or excessive worry) are the most prevalent in this age group and are more common among older than among younger adolescents. It is estimated that 3.6% of 10-14-year-olds and 4.6% of 15-19-year-olds experience an anxiety disorder. Depression is estimated to occur among 1.1% of adolescents aged 10-14 years, and 2.8% of 15-19-year-olds. Depression and anxiety share some of the same symptoms, including rapid and unexpected changes in mood.

Anxiety and depressive disorders can profoundly affect school attendance and schoolwork. Social withdrawal can exacerbate isolation and loneliness. Depression can lead to suicide.

Behavioural disorders

Behavioural disorders are more common among younger adolescents than older adolescents. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by difficulty paying attention, excessive activity and acting without regard to consequences, occurs among 3.1% of 10-14-year-olds and 2.4% of 15-19-year-olds (1). Conduct disorder (involving symptoms of destructive or challenging behaviour) occurs among 3.6% of 10-14-year-olds and 2.4% of 15-19-year-olds (1). Behavioural disorders can affect adolescents' education and conduct disorder may result in criminal behaviour.

Eating disorders

Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, commonly emerge during adolescence and young adulthood. Eating disorders involve abnormal eating behaviour and preoccupation with food, accompanied in most instances by concerns about body weight and shape. Anorexia nervosa can lead to premature death, often due to medical complications or suicide, and has higher mortality than any other mental disorder.

Psychosis

Conditions that include symptoms of psychosis most commonly emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood. Symptoms can include hallucinations or delusions. These experiences can impair an adolescent's ability to participate in daily life and education and often lead to stigma or human rights violations.

Suicide and self-harm

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in older adolescents (15-19 years) (2). Risk factors for suicide are multifaceted, and include harmful use of alcohol, abuse in childhood, stigma against help-seeking, barriers to accessing care and access to means of suicide. Digital media, like any other media, can play a significant role in either enhancing or weakening suicide prevention efforts.

Risk-taking behaviours

Many risk-taking behaviours for health, such as substance use or sexual risk-taking, start during adolescence. Risk-taking behaviours can be an unhelpful strategy to cope with emotional difficulties and can severely impact an adolescent's mental and physical well-being.

Worldwide, the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking among adolescents aged 15-19 years was 13.6% in 2016, with males most at risk (3).

The use of tobacco and cannabis are additional concerns. Many adult smokers had their first cigarette prior to the age of 18 years. Cannabis is the most widely used drug among young people with about 4.7% of 15-16-years-olds using it at least once in 2018 (4).

Perpetration of violence is a risk-taking behaviour that can increase the likelihood of low educational attainment, injury, involvement with crime or death. Interpersonal violence was ranked among the leading causes of death of older adolescent boys in 2019 (5).

Promotion and prevention

Mental health promotion and prevention interventions aim tostrengthen an individual's capacity to regulate emotions, enhance alternatives to risk-taking behaviours, build resilience for managing difficult situations and adversity, and promote supportive social environments and social networks.

These programmes require a multi-level approach with varied delivery platforms -for example, digital media, health or social care settings, schools or the community - and varied strategies to reach adolescents, particularly the most vulnerable.

Early detection and treatment

It is crucial to address the needs of adolescents with mental health conditions. Avoiding institutionalization and over-medicalization, prioritizing non-pharmacological approaches, and respecting the rights of children in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments are key for adolescents' mental health.

WHO response

WHO works on strategies, programmes and tools to assist governments in responding to the health needs of adolescents.

For example, the Helping Adolescents Thrive (HAT) Initiative is a joint WHO-UNICEF effort to strengthen policies and programmes for the mental health of adolescents. More specifically, the efforts made through the Initiative are to promote mental health and prevent mental health conditions. They are also intended to help prevent self-harm and other risk behaviours, such as harmful use of alcohol and drugs, that have a negative impact on the mental ̶ and physical ̶ health of young people.

WHO has also developed a module on Child and Adolescent Mental and Behavioural Disorders as part of the mhGAP Intervention Guide 2.0. This Guide provides evidence-based clinical protocols for the assessment and management of a range of mental health conditions in non-specialized care settings.

Furthermore, WHO is developing and testing scalable psychological interventions to address emotional disorders of adolescents, and guidance on mental health services for adolescents.

WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has developed a mental health training package for educators for improved understanding of the importance of mental health in the school setting and to guide the implementation of strategies to promote, protect and restore mental health among their students. It includes training manuals and materials to help scale up the number of schools promoting mental health.

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Adolescence (10-19 years) is a unique and formative time. Multiple physical, emotional and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse, or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Promoting psychological well-being and protecting adolescents from adverse experiences and risk factors that may impact their potential to thrive are critical for their well-being during adolescence and for their physical and mental health in adulthood.

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"Young people report that there might be good reason to worry. A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-24 year olds in the UK how social media platforms impacted their health and wellbeing. The survey results found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness."

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· A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health shows the effects of social media on teenagers: high levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. · Can social media platforms be used to spread positivity and encouragement? How can teenagers be equipped to deal with the consequences of social media? · Read about using social media for positive change.
Many parents worry about how exposure to technology might affect toddlers developmentally. We know our preschoolers are picking up new social and cognitive skills at a stunning pace, and we don't want hours spent glued to an iPad to impede that. But adolescence is an equally important period of rapid development, and too few of us are paying attention to how our teenagers' use of technology-much more intense and intimate than a 3-year-old playing with dad's iPhone-is affecting them. In fact, experts worry that the social media and text messages that have become so integral to teenage life are promoting anxiety and lowering self-esteem.

Young people report that there might be good reason to worry. A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-24 year olds in the UK how social media platforms impacted their health and wellbeing. The survey results found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness.

Indirect communication
Teens are masters at keeping themselves occupied in the hours after school until way past bedtime. When they're not doing their homework (and when they are) they're online and on their phones, texting, sharing, trolling, scrolling, you name it. Of course before everyone had an Instagram account teens kept themselves busy, too, but they were more likely to do their chatting on the phone, or in person when hanging out at the mall. It may have looked like a lot of aimless hanging around, but what they were doing was experimenting, trying out skills, and succeeding and failing in tons of tiny real-time interactions that kids today are missing out on. For one thing, modern teens are learning to do most of their communication while looking at a screen, not another person.
Read the full article about the effects of social media by Rachel Ehmke at the Child Mind Institute.

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How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers

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A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health shows the effects of social media on teenagers: high levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Can social media platforms be used to spread positivity and encouragement? How can teenagers be equipped