The American Medical Association adopted a policy Nov. 15 targeting the negative health effects of social media usage among teenagers.
Recent research suggests increased social media usage is associated with increased levels of anxiety and depression, according to AMA officials. For example, a May report out of the London-based Royal Society for Public Health found social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat negatively affect young adults' mental health and well-being.
To address the issue, the AMA policy encourages schools to provide students with educational programs about how to identify and mitigate social media-associated mental health issues.
"Social media has the power to bring people closer together and to build communities, but research also is showing a link between increased social media use and an uptick in anxiety and depression," said AMA Board Member Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD. "In addition to increasing awareness of these dangers among parents and teens, we must do more in our schools to identify and address them as early as possible."