camwilson
Beyond questions about how a teen social media ban would work, there's been almost no attention paid to complete lack of evidence for its benefits.
Why is no one asking the Prime Minister for proof that a ban would help even if implemented perfectly?
https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/11/15/anthony-albanese-social-media-ban/
Eric Ireland
@camwilson I became convinced social media was bad for kids, especially girls, after reading Jonathan Haidt's blog.
Evidence seems convincing to me, although I can't see how they will enforce it. Maybe better to leave it to parents.
Eric Ireland
@justanotheramy @camwilson He's written a few I think but nothing amazing. I got Anxious Generation out of the library and read a bit of it but it seemed to be just fleshing out the stuff on his blog.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Goodness. He does have a lot of books to sell, doesn’t he?
Eric Ireland
@justanotheramy @camwilson I agree the pop-ups are annonying, but you can subscribe anonymously using a RSS reader. The feed URL is http://www.afterbabel.com/feed
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
The blog is a content marketing funnel not a public service.
It requires a subscription to access, which gives him — and his publishers — a targeted release announcement list.
Worrying parents about complex issues then offering simplistic solutions is a well worn grift.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
I think you’ve missed my point.
Eric Ireland
@justanotheramy @camwilson I get that you think his blog is worthless and just a marketing exercise for his books, but I disagree with you. I think he makes excellent arguments backed up by research, e.g. in this blog post https://www.afterbabel.com/p/phone-based-childhood-cause-epidemic
I think all parents should take heed! That said, I know some kids get a lot out of social media, e.g. that boy who started his own news service on Twitter who was interviewed on Radio National Breakfast, but he's an outlier.
Eric Ireland
@justanotheramy @camwilson Thanks for providing such a detailed critique! I'll give it my full consideration! :-) I feel like this is what social media is good for.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
He relies on conflating correlation with causation, oversimplifies complex issues like economic precarity and patriarchy, and dismisses alternative explanations. He selectively amplifies anecdotal evidence and alarmist narratives while proposing simplistic solutions that ignore the needs of vulnerable children. The framing pressures action without addressing systemic root causes, favouring quick fixes over meaningful change.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
That is half a day of my life I won’t get back, so I do hope putting in the effort instead of being snarky counts for something.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
In "the real world", children under the age of 16 catch public transport to school. They have disabilities and neurodiversity. They have parents who work, or work multiple jobs. They use smart phones to navigate transport timetables, as accessibility aids that help them pay attention, to talk to their parents at work, to connect with lifesaving resources outside an abusive home.
"No harm"? Or "no harm to anyone who matters"?
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
Always ask yourself when someone claims they're "protecting children":
Which children are they protecting? From what? Who do they see as expendable?
These questions uncover not just whose needs are prioritised, but also the underlying agenda shaping their proposals and the social dynamics they aim to reinforce.
Actively opposing measures to improve healthcare and reduce poverty… well, it’s a choice.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
Now comes the sales pitch, appealing to the understandable wariness of tackling long, hard battles. He reassures us: don’t worry about confronting intractable social and economic issues — just try this One Simple Trick instead!
It’s a classic move to shift focus from systemic problems to an oversimplified solution, offering a quick fix that sounds actionable but avoids the deeper, harder work of addressing root causes.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Strong "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" vibes here—let's do something just for the sake of doing a thing!
This urgency is reinforced by alarmist language designed to make "doing nothing" seem untenable, even though the proposed actions are simplistic and untested.
He claims they’re harmless. But let’s take a closer look at them, shall we?
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
If you click through, Twenge actually states she agrees that “It’s because children and teens have less independence.”
Yet social media provides a space where young people can exercise agency and independence— connecting with people, exploring identities, and engaging with ideas beyond their parents’ influence. Ironically, it’s this independence that adults often fear, as it challenges traditional family and community control.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
We’ve already gone over why he’s wrong on both counts here.
The timing in the U.S. aligns with increased healthcare access making mental health issues more visible, and the fallout from the GFC impacted financially overextended middle-class families as much as, if not more than, low SES ones.
As for the international scope, systemic issues like the climate crisis and patriarchy are global forces, not confined to any one country.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
The GFC fallout created financial precarity not just for low SES families but also for middle-class households living paycheck to paycheck. Overextended families with large mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt faced intense stress when layoffs or company instability loomed. This stress spilled into their kids’ lives, affecting mental health across income levels. Ignoring this nuance oversimplifies the broader impact of economic stress.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Stress wouldn't be expected to "increased faster for teens in families below the poverty line" post GFC, because it wasn't a *new stressor* for them.
I do wonder sometimes if mainstream psychologists have ever met a person.
This was not just an American problem. Neither is the climate crisis. Neither is patriarchy.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
A recent report compared the healthcare systems of 10 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The U.S. spends a significantly higher % of its GDP on healthcare, yet consistently ranks lowest in health outcomes. This is largely attributed to substantial barriers in accessing affordable healthcare within the U.S. system.
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/sep/mirror-mirror-2024
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
The rollback of ObamaCare under Trump and the rise of austerity governments across the Anglosphere are real, material factors that shouldn’t be dismissed so lightly. These actions undermined healthcare access and social safety nets, exacerbating economic and social pressures for vulnerable pops. Such factors play a significant role in shaping adolescent mental health trends and deserve serious consideration when discussing broader systemic causes.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
It’s the patriarchy, stupid.
The “eyewitness testimony” Meta collected reflects broader cultural dynamics disproportionately affecting girls, where systemic issues like unrealistic beauty standards, social comparison, and harassment play a major role. Blaming just Insta ignores the patriarchal and commercial pressures that shape these experiences and drive users to choose Insta over its competitors.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Shockingly, this argument is a grotesque oversimplification. He dismisses Odgers' theory by claiming it can't explain the rise in anxiety and depression after 2012 — but during Obama's presidency increased access to healthcare meant more people could afford mental health services. Mental health issues only get recorded if someone sees a doctor. Affordable care = more diagnoses made = problems more visible.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Where, exactly, are the “group-level effects” or “collective action traps” in any of the preceding lists of evidence? This argument takes a sharp turn, introducing concepts not supported by the earlier correlation-heavy studies. If these effects are central to his claims they should have been explicitly measured or analysed in the evidence presented so far.
This feels like a sudden pivot to a new justification without adequate groundwork.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
I guess queer and trans youth, abuse survivors, and geographically isolated kids don’t count then. The anecdotal “evidence” presented here selectively amplifies privileged voices critical of social media while ignoring those who benefit from it. For many, social media provides vital connection, support, and advocacy — especially for those marginalised or isolated in their offline communities.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
When anyone makes a big noise about how they’re “protecting children”, pay close attention to what they’re protecting them *from*, and who they’re willing to throw under the bus to do it.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
It’s almost as if we live in patriarchy. I wonder if anyone has explored how the broader culture disproportionately harms women & girls? Maybe they’ve called it something like “womanism”? “Girlinism”? “Feminism”? No, surely that’s too wacky.
Instead of acknowledging systemic gendered harm, he treats this solely as evidence of social media’s impact, ignoring decades of feminist critique that could provide a far richer context for these findings.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
This post is already more than long enough, and I’m not reading two more. He can repeat the mistake 10 or hundreds of times — doing it hundreds of times arguably makes it worse. Accumulating flawed studies doesn’t prove causation; it only reinforces the critique that he conflates correlation with causation, ignoring systemic factors and underlying variables.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Christ, we’re not even at the end of section 1 yet.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
When a child or an entire school participates in a mental health study, responsible adults are aware that they’ll be judged on the outcomes. This often leads to closer attention to wellbeing — a phenomenon tied to reputation management. The need for informed consent makes it impossible to eliminate this variable. As a result, children’s mental health may improve simply due to increased adult conscientiousness, confounding the study’s findings.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
I should hope not — and no, it doesn’t. What we’ve mostly seen is a collection of studies using correlation to force causation, which was precisely the thrust of the original criticism.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Look at the Brailovskaia study: it examines alternative time use, showing that increased physical activity correlates with decreased depression—a well-established finding. It should highlight that most other studies ignore this as a variable, despite its significance. This oversight raises a broader correlation vs. causation issue: without accounting for what replaces social media, we can’t fully understand its impact on mental health.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
And why women are on Insta in the first place, how they’re using it — these are not Insta problems, these are much larger cultural problems.
It would be a rare feminist who’d argue we could all pack up and go home if only Insta would shut up shop.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
He’s making the same mistake again—failing to see people, especially women and girls, as having motives or agency. This is the long shadow of behaviourism’s black box.
Those who are sad or isolated often seek understanding and connection, and when that isn’t available in their immediate family or community, social media broadens their horizons.
Correlation is not causation.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Statistics linking heavy social media use to increased depression, particularly among girls, are given as evidence of a causal relationship — these studies don’t address *why* those girls are spending so much time on social media in the 1st place. It’s “correlation is not causation” again — without understanding the reasons for the behaviour, the data cannot establish that social media use is the cause, rather than a symptom.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
The mention of "withdrawal symptoms" introduces covert addiction framing, which isn’t supported by the evidence provided. It’s a loaded term designed to provoke alarm, suggesting that social media use mirrors substance abuse without establishing a valid basis for such a comparison.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
I guess we’ll see. But we know what lines pushed his buttons, don’t we?
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
The social media use of college students is often quite political, so reducing their social media use would thus lower exposure to contemporary news — in 2018 that means things like the #MeToo movement, various humanitarian crises, murder of a Saudi dissident, various Trump shenanagins, worsening climate change…
Reducing social media use might reduce their exposure to such distressing realities, but that doesn't make reality go away.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
The claim that "the broader scientific and policy communities tune in" shifts the focus from evidence to influence, subtly pressuring the audience to take sides.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
Odgers critiqued his book for ignoring systemic factors like racism, economic hardship, and the 2008 GFC as plausible drivers of the youth mental health crisis. The author objects, framing it as a distraction from the “brain rewiring”. In doing so, he dismisses the challenge of accounting for real-world variables that complicate cause-and-effect claims, doubling down on his alarmist narrative instead of engaging with systemic issues.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
"Mauling" is absurdly emotive language designed to provoke fear rather than encourage rational analysis. This paragraph doesn’t warrant further comment; it undermines itself with its exaggerated rhetoric.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici I’m very annoyed now by that garbage you’ve foisted on me, so I’m going to finish my cup of tea and dust off my qualitative critical psych skillz from my first degree, and we can go through that con artist’s rhetoric paragraph by paragraph, alright?
Buckle up.
Just Another Amy
@camwilson @erici
Let’s go.
He starts by preemptively distancing himself from charges of stirring up a baseless moral panic, framing past panics as trivial concerns like bicycles and comic books. This positions him as a rational voice discussing a real and serious issue. By dismissing "alarmists" as hysterical and blaming media for sensationalism, he primes readers to see his argument as valid while undermining opposing views before they’re even introduced.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
He's upping the stakes listing more consequential issues supposedly as counterexamples: but the rhetoric in this paragraph is focused on working to undermine the credibility of skeptics, and those examples are decontextualised. "Teen pregnancy" for instance is a hot button culture wars topic, largely created by the abstinence-only sex ed that purports to prevent it.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
Leo and the rest of the 6News team are not the only young people getting value from social media.
It’s a life saving resource for many queer and gender diverse kids, especially those who have abusive families, conservative communities, or geographical isolation.
It’s also often a vital resource for kids experiencing other kinds of abuse.
This is such a privileged heteronormative take.
Just Another Amy
@erici @camwilson
I have already said upthread that “worrying parents about complex issues then offering simplistic solutions is a well worn grift”.
I don’t particularly care if that’s formatted as a blog or a book.
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