Social media is highly influential. Without regulations or precautions, it can harm people. On April 28, 2024, a 7-month-old child in Chennai slipped from her mother's hands and fell from their fourth-floor apartment onto a temporary sunshade below. Although the child was rescued, the mother suffered severe cyberbullying which tragically culminated in the mother dying of suicide 3 weeks later. On June 16, 2024, a student from Bengaluru died by suicide after she lost money to cyberfraud. Although social media has its advantages, these are illustrative examples of what has sadly become a public health emergency. Can we reduce the harmful effects of social media?
Humans need healthy relationships for mental well-being. This necessity is exploited by social media companies whose applications (apps) we use to help us connect with loved ones or wider audiences at little or no cost. Social media apps store users' previous preferences, and notoriously adapt to promote addictive behaviour in users. Young people are more attracted to social media apps due to ‘fear of missing out,’ or for passing time and as a coping strategy for challenges in life. Up to 10% of Indonesian students were reported to be at risk of developing eating disorders due to unhealthy beauty standards promoted on social media. Celebrities and social media influencers rarely share their conflicts of interest, and some try to promote unhealthy products and financial frauds. Also, strict monitoring of medical information (even in local languages) is required, as misinformation can be detrimental. For example, people attempting home birth as per recommendations in YouTube videos, without medical advice, has led to deaths.
Another harm, cyberbullying, affects people physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everyone, especially children and adolescents, must be made aware of the threats that loom large if they use digital devices unchecked and uninformed. Interestingly, a study on school students in Thailand showed that frustration, violence (group or portrayed in media), and authoritarian parenting were associated with cyberbullying practices. A cohort study in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh showed that the adolescent victims of cyberbullying had an increased risk of depressive symptoms, with a higher prevalence of suicide ideation in females (7.5%) compared with males (2.3%). The US Surgeon General, Dr Vivek Murthy, has called for warning labels for social media apps similar to statutory warnings on tobacco products. Similar warning labels or other strategies may be considered by countries in the southeast Asia region. India banned the app TikTok in 2020, citing various cybersecurity issues. In February 2024, the Government of Thailand collaborated with UNICEF to launch #CautionFirst, an initiative to promote awareness among children and adolescents about safe internet practices. The digital footprints of cyberbullies, such as comments and screenshots of the same, could be used as evidence to report to the authorities. All must be trained about online privacy and how to seek help if there is an immediate danger. Also, parents could track mobile usage of children. Cyberfraud awareness classes delivered by police in schools can empower children to help their parents in thwarting online financial scams.
Apart from individual initiatives, an effective approach should involve advancing regulatory laws. However, governments have their own vested interests and manipulate public opinion via social media (prevalent in more than 80 countries in 2019). The news era is changing along with influence of social media on elections. People, especially youth, have started to embrace social media videos as an important source of news. According to a global survey conducted by Reuters Institute, around one-third of respondents used YouTube for updating themselves with the latest events. Thailand and Indonesia increasingly used TikTok, whereas India used YouTube and WhatsApp. Political parties are investing more in social media for disseminating misinformation as part of their propaganda videos and recruiting ‘cyber troops’ who try to dominate the scene with support for a preferred political party. Unfortunately, considering governments' role in social media manipulation and surveillance of people in disagreement with the government, creation of strict regulations for the social media might not happen in the immediate future.
Social media has its positives too. Data from social media can inform health authorities about whether their public awareness programmes have been effective or not. For example, analysis of tweets in X (formerly Twitter) in 2020 showed negative attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. In contrast, the attitude was positive in India. Suicide prevention hotlines are slowly shifting from traditional telephones to chat support via social media apps. Such upgrades would help in reaching out to youth, who prefer social media apps. Furthermore, social media can foster communities of people with lived experiences or disabilities and can motivate new members to join.
Regarding misinformation, adults must try to improve their critical thinking skills as well as teach logical fallacies to children at an early age. Reporting of misinformation is also becoming harder as the moderators of social media companies work around their policies and reject complaints with template responses such as “this content doesn't go against our Community Standards.” Celebrities or influencers who promote unhealthy products must be made accountable if any harm occurs in the future. Misinformation in social media can be overwhelming sometimes, and disengagement is an option for ‘detox.’ As social media apps are easily available through mobile phones, reducing usage of mobile phones could be encouraged (keeping phones far away from bed, or scheduled shutdown), which would also help in achieving a healthy sleeping habit. Social media is a tool, and we can benefit from it if used judiciously. Let us be safe and make sure we do not become the tool of a tool.