The vast majority of Latino parents showed willingness to support policy actions aimed at addressing social media use among children and adolescents to prevent mental health issues, a new survey by NGO Omidyar Network showed.
The study, titled "Parents of Latino Youth Social Media and Mental Health Survey," delved into consumption from this community as previous studies showed that Latinos use social media at higher rates than non-Latino Americans. This is especially relevant for the demographic, considering that Hispanics have a higher percentage of their population between the ages of 10 and 18 than any other group in the country.
Excessive usage of social media among adolescents and pre-teens can result in negative health consequences, the U.S. Surgeon General explained in its 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health advisory.
The report identified disrupted sleep patterns, low self-esteem, and increased vulnerability to cyberbullying, among other issues. In fact, some cities are suing several social media networks, alleging that the designs of their platforms exploit young users' mental health. For example, New York City claimed that the apps cost the city $100 million in related health programs and services each year.
In this context, the survey assessed Latino parents' attitudes toward different actions they could take to counter the detrimental impact social media can have on their children's mental health.
One section of the questionnaire, conducted with a total of 558 Latino parents, was completely dedicated to exploring whether they would support three specific policies:
- About 94% of respondents would support a measure "to require tech companies to better and more transparently assess the impact of their products on children and establish age restrictions for social media use on their platforms."
- Again, 94% said they were in favor of "including digital and social media literacy in the curriculum of our schools so all children are informed of the harms of social media and given skills to help use it more safely."
- Finally, 97% expressed their support for a policy aimed at "strengthening safety standards required for social media platforms and making social media safer for children of all ages by better protecting children's privacy through apps and social media platforms."
Other Key Findings of the Survey
The majority of Latino parents (71%) said that their teenagers and pre-teens are active users of social media, according to Omidyar Network's report based on the "Parents of Latino Youth Social Media and Mental Health Survey."
The organization highlighted that social media usage is particularly prevalent among parents of older teenagers, with 81% of those with children aged 15 to 18 reporting social media activity.
Regarding frequency, the survey delved into the habits of the 71% of parents whose children use social media. Among them, 71% revealed that their children spend "several hours a day" or are engaged "almost constantly" on social media platforms.
Additionally, one-third of Latino parents said that their children are "almost constantly" on social media.
Conversely, 18% of parents reported that their children spend at least an hour a day on social media, while 11% said that their teenagers or pre-teens use social media a few hours per week.
The high usage of social media concerns the majority of Latino parents in the U.S. About 44% expressed feeling extremely concerned, while 27% reported moderate concern.
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