Report: Infinite scrolling dangerous for teenagers
By: Juan Carlos Castillo
Asbury Park Press
USA today Network - New Jersey
ASBURY PARK - The American Psychological Association issued a report Tuesday [04/16/2024] criticizing how classic media is designed in a way that jeopardizes the mental health of young people.
..... More than half of teenagers are reporting symptoms of clinical dependency on social media and the APA blames design features on the platforms as one of the culprits.
..... Infinite scrolling, visible count of likes and follows, push notifications, and content recommended by artificial intelligence are some of the common features on social media platforms that hurt teenagers' mental health, the report said. These same features are at the center of the many lawsuits against social media platforms.
..... The infinite scrolling feature was particularly scrutinized by the report, as it makes it harder for younger users to resist the urge to continue scrolling.
..... "Fourths' developing cortical system makes them less capable of resisting impulses or stopping themselves from behavior that may lead to temporary benefit despite negative longer-term consequences,' the report said.
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"This can lead to adolescents making decisions based on short-term gain, lower appreciation of long-term risks, and interference with focus on tasks that require concentration," it said.
..... On the other hand, push notifications take advantage of younger users' sensitivity to distraction.
..... What's worse is that push notifications force a user to quickly shift tasks, something that requires a higher cognitive ability that people don't develop until early adulthood, interfering with youths' focus.
..... The report, made by a panel of 12 scholars, also stressed that brain development starting at age 10-13 until the mid-20s is linked with hypersensitivity to both negative and positive social feedback. Visible counts of a users' followers and "likes" capitalize on younger users' vulnerability and increase changes for problematic sue of social media.
..... Moreover, "likes and followers count activate neural regions that trigger repetitive behavior, and thus may exert greater influence on youths' attitudes and behavior," the report said.