Social media addiction gets children ‘hooked’ on ‘dopamine cycle early’
A Washington Examiner piece features Tiana Lowe Doescher arguing that addressing children’s social media addiction should start at home and in schools rather than focusing on tech executives like Mark Zuckerberg.Speaking on Newsmax, she says more attention should be given to the role of families and school districts, suggesting we’re cultivating a “dopamine cycle” early as kids spend extensive time behind screens in both settings. The article notes Meta CEO Zuckerberg’s testimony in a trial alleging that social platforms can be habit-forming and discusses safeguards for underage users, including the rule that accounts for users under 13 are supposed to be deleted. Doescher also highlights the growing use of devices in schools and the need for responsible monitoring beyond parents alone. While she acknowledges zuckerberg’s obligation to shareholders and the legal constraints on advertising to minors, she contends that schools and parents share the critical responsibility of limiting children’s exposure to social media.
Social media addiction gets children ‘hooked’ on ‘dopamine cycle early’: Tiana Lowe Doescher
Washington Examiner economics columnist Tiana Lowe Doescher said that the focus should be on parents at home and even the school district when it comes to children getting addicted to social media.
“Perhaps more of us, instead of looking at Mark Zuckerberg, should be focusing on the home and the schools,” Doescher said on Newsmax’s Bianca Across the Nation Thursday.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Wednesday in an ongoing case trial that’s accusing social media companies of making their platforms harmfully addictive. It focuses on a claim made by a 19-year-old who said she became addicted to social media and blamed that addiction for her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Zuckerberg was grilled on a variety of topics about Meta, including the company’s safeguards against underage users from accessing its platforms.
Doescher said there is “truth” that it is the responsibility of parents, not Zuckerberg, to monitor their children’s social media usage, despite it not being a “popular” opinion.
“Mark Zuckerberg’s responsibility is to his shareholders,” she said. “He’s obviously not allowed to violate the law, and we cannot love if things are advertised to minors, but the fact is that, officially, Facebook and Instagram are supposed to be 13 at minimum to sign up for them.”
Facebook and Instagram accounts created for users under 13 years old will be deleted if reported, according to the platforms’ websites.
Doescher noted that schools are having children spend large amounts of their days behind screens.
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“It really is not just up to the parents, but also, I think, really up to these school districts where we see a normalization of not just Chromebooks being sent home with kids, where they spend all day behind a screen in elementary school, but I’ve heard of iPads in public schools for kindergartners,” Doescher said.
“So we’re getting them hooked on this dopamine cycle early,” she said.
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