Social media and teenage health ⏲️ 6 Minute English
Summary
TLDRThis BBC Learning English episode of 'Six Minute English' explores the impact of social media on teenagers' mental health. It discusses the addictive nature of platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, with insights from Professor Devi Sridhar on how algorithms feed users content in a potentially harmful way. The show also addresses the role of parents in navigating these challenges, highlighting the importance of regulation and the responsibility placed on adults to find solutions. The episode ends with a surprising statistic about Snapchat usage among young adults.
Takeaways
- 📱 Social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Threads are widely used and can lead to increased screen time.
- 🧠 Studies suggest that social media use can have negative effects on mental health, being as addictive as gambling.
- 👨⚕️ Research in the US indicates that adolescents spending over three hours daily on social media double their risk of depression and anxiety.
- 📊 64% of teens reported regular exposure to hate-based content on social media, affecting their mental well-being.
- 🏛️ The US is in the process of regulating social media apps for teenagers, with some experts suggesting the UK should follow suit.
- 🔍 Algorithms on social media platforms are designed to keep users engaged by feeding them addictive content based on their preferences.
- 💰 Social media platforms' revenue model, which relies on advertising, may prioritize profits over user mental health.
- 👨👩👧👦 Parents are increasingly concerned about their teenagers' social media use and are seeking ways to manage it.
- 🤔 The responsibility to help teenagers navigate social media falls on parents, who face the challenge of balancing online safety with their children's social lives.
- 📈 Snapchat is particularly popular among young people, with 90% of thirteen to twenty-four-year-olds using the app.
Q & A
What is the main topic discussed in the Six Minute English from BBC Learning English?
-The main topic discussed is the impact of social media on teenagers' mental health and the potential addiction to it.
Which social media platforms are mentioned in the script?
-The platforms mentioned are Snapchat, TikTok, and Threads.
What is the connection between social media use and mental health as discussed in the script?
-The script suggests that excessive social media use can lead to an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety in adolescents.
What is the term used to describe someone aged ten to nineteen?
-The term used to describe someone aged ten to nineteen is 'adolescent'.
What percentage of thirteen to twenty-four-year-olds use Snapchat according to the script?
-According to the script, 90% of thirteen to twenty-four-year-olds use Snapchat.
What does the term 'fed content' refer to in the context of social media?
-In the context of social media, 'fed content' refers to content that is automatically offered to users by the platform's algorithms based on their previous interactions.
What is the role of algorithms in social media platforms as discussed in the script?
-Algorithms are used by social media platforms to prioritize and personalize the content a user sees, aiming to keep users engaged on the platform for as long as possible to increase advertising revenue.
What is the term used to describe the money a company earns?
-The term used to describe the money a company earns is 'revenue'.
What does the term 'onus' mean in the context of the script?
-In the context of the script, 'onus' refers to the responsibility or duty placed on parents to find solutions for their teenagers' social media addiction.
What is the significance of the term 'losing battle' in the discussion about teenagers and social media?
-The term 'losing battle' signifies the struggle parents face when trying to regulate their teenagers' social media use, as it is often an uphill task due to the integral role social networks play in teenagers' lives.
What is the role of advertising in the context of social media platforms' revenue?
-Advertising is a significant source of revenue for social media platforms, as they are paid by other companies to promote their products on their platforms.
Outlines
📱 Social Media and Teen Mental Health
This segment of the BBC's Six Minute English discusses the impact of social media on teenagers' mental health. It highlights the addictive nature of platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and Threads, and references studies that suggest a link between excessive social media use and increased risk of depression and anxiety among adolescents. The US is considering regulations to protect teenagers, and there's a call for similar actions in the UK. The conversation also touches on how algorithms on social media platforms can perpetuate harmful content, such as that related to eating disorders, by continuously serving similar content to users who engage with it. The segment emphasizes the responsibility placed on parents to monitor and manage their children's social media use, despite the challenges this presents.
📚 Recap of Key Vocabulary
The second paragraph serves as a recap of the key vocabulary introduced in the programme. It defines 'adolescent' as a person aged between ten and nineteen, 'fed content' as being automatically offered content by social media platforms, 'algorithms' as the complex rules that determine and customize what users see, 'revenue' as the income earned by a company, potentially from advertising, and 'onus' as the responsibility or duty placed on someone. The term 'losing battle' is used to describe a fight that seems impossible to win, which in the context of the discussion, refers to the struggle parents face in regulating their teenagers' social media use. The segment concludes by inviting listeners to join future episodes for more vocabulary and discussions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡social media
💡addictive
💡adolescent
💡depression
💡anxiety
💡algorithms
💡revenue
💡fed content
💡onset
💡onus
💡losing battle
Highlights
Social media addiction is a concern with the prevalence of various apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Threads.
Some studies suggest that social media can be as addictive as gambling.
US research indicates that adolescents spending over three hours daily on social media double their risk of depression and anxiety.
Health experts are increasingly worried about the chronic health effects of social media on teenagers' mental health.
64% of teens report regular exposure to hate-based content on social media platforms.
The US is considering regulating social media apps for teenagers, with some advocating for similar action in the UK.
Social media algorithms are designed to keep users engaged by feeding them addictive content.
Teenagers' entire social networks are often on social media platforms, making parental control challenging.
The responsibility to help teenagers navigate social media safely often falls on parents.
Snapchat is a popular communication method for teenagers, with 90% of thirteen to twenty-four-year-olds using it.
Social media platforms use algorithms to personalize content and keep users on their platforms to increase advertising revenue.
The term 'fed content' refers to content automatically offered by social media platforms based on user behavior.
Revenue for social media platforms often comes from advertising, which incentivizes keeping users engaged for longer periods.
The onus is on parents to find solutions to help their children use social media safely, despite the challenges.
A 'losing battle' describes a situation where the outcome is already determined and efforts are unlikely to succeed.
The vocabulary segment of the programme helps learners understand terms related to social media and its impact on teenagers.
The programme concludes with a recap of the key vocabulary words and concepts discussed.
Transcripts
Hello. This is Six Minute
English from BBC
Learning English. I'm Neil. Beth?
What are you doing? Get off your phone!
Oh, sorry! And I'm Beth.
Are you addicted to social media?
It wouldn't be a surprise.
With so many different apps out there,
Snapchat, TikTok, and the latest, Threads,
it's easy to spend a lot more time on your phone than ever before.
Yes, I don't think I'm addicted,
but I definitely spend more time on social media than I'd like to.
However, there are plenty of studies out there looking
at how social media affects mental health with some saying
it can be as addictive as gambling. Research in the US has found
that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media
have double the risk of developing depression and anxiety. An adolescent
is someone aged ten to nineteen,
between childhood and adulthood. With that in mind,
it's no wonder parents are worried. To help with this, the US is currently
in the process of regulating social media apps for teenagers.
Some scientists think the UK should do the same.
There has been growing agreement among health experts about
the negative chronic health effects of social media use on teenagers.
They have revealed in surveys that social media makes them feel worse
about their body image and 64% of teens have said
they are regularly exposed to hate-based content. In this programme,
we'll be discussing how social media affects teenagers and,
as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
But first I have a question for you, Beth.
The app Snapchat is a very common way that teenagers communicate these
days.
This is partly because messages
and photos disappear after a certain time period.
But what percentage of thirteen to twenty-four year olds use Snapchat?
Is it: a) 70%, b) 80% or c) 90%.
Hmm, I'll guess 80%.
OK, Beth. I'll reveal the answer later in the programme.
A lot of social media platforms, such as TikTok, work
by showing and suggesting similar accounts and content to those
someone has already searched for. Professor Devi Sridhar,
the Chair of global public health
at the University of Edinburgh, thinks this can be concerning, as she told
BBC World Service Programme,
Inside Science. And this
is worrying, for example,
with young girls and eating disorders, that they're being fed that
in an addictive way and the algorithm saying, 'Oh, they like that content.
We want to keep giving it to them because it keeps them on their phones
and I think that's the really vital message here, of any of these apps,
is that their revenue comes
from advertising. Teenagers are being fed content
in a way that is addictive.
If you are fed something,
it means you're given something. In this case,
it refers to content, not food.
The content is addictive
because social media users algorithms. Algorithms are a complex set of rules
and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user sees.
But we need to remember that social media platforms use algorithms
to keep users on the platforms for as long as possible
because their revenue comes from advertising. Revenue is the money
a company earns. They're paid by other companies
to use the social media space to promote their products.
This could be seen as social media platforms prioritising making money
over the mental health of users – a worry for parents.
Professor Debbie Sridhar talked about the challenges
of having a teenager addicted to social media on BBC
World Service Programme, Inside Science.
And so I think
the challenge here, as a parent, listening to this is what you do about it.
And I think the onus has been put on parents and concerned adults
to find solutions on their own.
And that means debates with your child over
what are you are on, are you using this, but it's a losing battle
because it's their entire social network.
Professor Sridhar says
that, when it comes to helping teenagers navigate social media,
the onus has been put on parents to find solutions.
The onus means the responsibility or duty.
Parents need to be able to challenge their children when they need
to, even if this is a losing battle, a fight
they cannot win as teenagers have their entire life on social networks.
OK Beth. I think it's time I reveal the answer to my question.
I asked you
what percentage of thirteen to twenty-four year olds use Snapchat.
And I said it was 80%. And that was,
I'm sorry to say, the wrong answer. Actually 90%
of people aged between thirteen and twenty four
use Snapchat – quite a lot.
OK, let's recap the vocabulary
we have learned from this programme, starting with adolescent –
a person aged ten to nineteen, between childhood and adulthood.
If you are fed content,
you are given content.
This is what the social media platform offers you automatically rather than
what you search for yourself. Algorithms are a complex set of rules
and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user
sees. Revenue is the money
a company earns which could come from sales or advertising. If the
onus is on someone,
it's their responsibility or duty.
And finally, a losing battle is a fight
you cannot win. Once again
our six minutes are up.
Join us again soon for more useful vocabulary here at Six Minute
English. Goodbye for now. Bye.
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