In reality, research on the effects of social media is inconclusive. While there is considerable research that finds negative effects on young people’s use of social media, other research finds no effects, and some even observe positive results:
The three types of aggregated well- and/or ill-being outcomes yielded inconsistent associations with general SMU (also called time spent using SM, general SNS use, or the frequency of SM checking). As for aggregated well-/ill-being, one meta-analysis yielded no association [6], and another a small positive association with general SMU [12]. As for aggregated well-being, one meta-analysis yielded a small negative [6], and another a small positive association with general SMU [15]. Remarkably though, his latter meta-analysis also reported a small positive association with aggregated ill-being [15]. Finally, general SMU was consistently associated with higher levels of depression/depressive symptoms [4,6,12,16] and anxiety [6,12], but, again surprisingly, also with higher happiness levels [12].
Despite this uncertainty, studies that find an effect, whether negative or positive, repeat the same pattern: the magnitude of the relationship is small. In other words, even if social media use did influence young people’s mental well-being, this would do little to explain why the health crisis among young people has increased.
Alternatively, I believe that the constant use of social media and its correlation with well-being is actually a consequence rather than a cause of a set of circumstances that have become more hostile towards young people. From limited independent mobility in their environment—influenced both by the shift toward car-oriented city design and the fear of “stranger crime”—to reduced time for personal projects—influenced both by increased academic pressures and growing economic problems that limit their options. These factors—not to mention policies that were conceived as a result of these factors—have influenced the reduction of opportunities for independent outdoor activities that are important for their development and which adult-supervised activities cannot compensate for. The use of digital technologies serves as a quick relief from the pressures that surround them.
Not only does he exaggerate the effect sizes found in the research, he has also performed questionable statistical analyses.
I recommend reading Patti Valkenburg and her differential susceptibility model. Rather than arguing about whether social media is good or bad, she attempts to unify research to nuance the effects per person. As she noted, the disparity in research findings on the effects of social media is not unique, but is also repeated in other research on the effects of media. She suggests that this problem is due to psychology’s general approach of seeking generalizable results useful for policy rather than focusing on variations per person: each person is unique and experiences stimuli differently, and by collapsing these experiences into an average result, you end up finding little or no effect of the variable studied.
This is not entirely accurate. The brain development process is different for each individual and is influenced by the diversity of experiences they have in their environment. There is no specific age at which the brain fully develops; rather, it is a continuous, gradual process that can differ from person to person. For some, it may be before the age of 25, while for others it may take until the age of 30 -see myth number 3 in the book-:
Other reviews of the research have noted similar developmental trends in gray and white matter. Age‐related increases in white matter coincided with gray matter decreases throughout adolescence, with an acceleration in the loss of prefrontal cortex gray matter occurring between the ages of 23 and 30 years
Why not use the recommendations already available on the website or forum? You can use a Pixel or iPhone device and implement parental controls via DNS—you can even do this at the router level, such as with Flint from Gl.inet, to prevent them from accessing these websites through other devices in the home, including their friends’ devices when they are at home.