Though studies have shown the adverse effects of addictive use of social media, social media addiction is not recognized as a medical disorder.
“When you think of addiction, you think of something [like substance abuse]. But that’s not how it works with phones or social media. These are a part of our lives,” said Sarah Jerstad, clinical director of psychological services at Children’s Minnesota. “So, how do we work with it?”
Sarah Jerstad is the clinical director of psychological services at Children’s Minnesota. (Sarah Jerstad/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)
Within homes, schools and legislation there is a growing push for more regulations.
Frederickson believes schools are going to have the largest impact in consistently regulating social media usage because that is where students spend more than half their days.
Xiong says parents have an important responsibility here. She has seen it already in her younger Gen Alpha cousins, how they stick to their tablets even at the dinner table. It irks her.
“Whenever I visit, I always see them on their iPads … And they never get off it. No matter how long I stay,” Xiong said.
