Addiction, doom scrolling, cyberbullying most common social media harms among youth

Addiction and doom scrolling rank at the top of the list when it comes to the negative effects of social media among young people, according to a new study released on September 14th by YouthTechSG, a youth-led charity. The report, titled "Youth Digital Pulse Report," examined how young people experience social media and the various harms they encounter through a combination of focus group discussions, street interviews, and an online poll. The study involved 227 participants aged between 13 and 35.

Addiction and doom scrolling were cited by over one in five of the 116 individuals who took part in focus group discussions and street interviews as the most common harms they experience on social media. Cyberbullying, toxicity, and inappropriate content followed closely behind, with nearly half of the 111 respondents in the online poll attributing the primary source of harm to platform-design mechanisms such as infinite scroll and recommendation systems. Other frequently cited sources of harm include user or AI-generated content and unwanted messages.

YouthTechSG's report highlights that user behavior plays a significant role in the negative online conduct, with anonymity, reduced social cues, and physical distance weakening the restraints that typically exist in face-to-face interactions. The government is currently considering measures to make social media safer for younger users, such as daily time limits, turning off auto-play by default to curb infinite scroll, and legislative changes to facilitate enforcement through age checks.

A majority of the respondents in the online survey expressed support for improved in-app reporting and support tools as an effective way to address social media harms, while more than half backed having less algorithm-driven and more chronological feeds. Only a small minority, roughly four in five of the 39 youths who participated in the focus group discussions, opposed a blanket ban on social media for young people, citing the potential negative impact of abrupt transitions from full restrictions to unrestricted online spaces with minimal safeguards.

"YouthTechSG's report underscores the importance of taking young people's lived experiences into account when shaping safeguards that the government mandates," said Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam during the launch of the report at Singapore Management University. "While many youths do not see an outright ban as the solution, they do want strong safeguards against online harms while still having room to learn, participate, and grow in the digital world."

The panel discussion held under Chatham House rules explored the study's findings and the challenges of getting companies to act against their own commercial imperatives of maximizing engagement.