18 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | DECEMBER 2024
How social media affects kids ’ mental health
Social media has become such a key component of most people ’ s lives that it is easy to think that it as always been there . SixDegrees , created in 1997 , was the first social media site similar to the format known today . When SixDegrees shut down in 2001 , Friendster , LinkedIn , MySpace , and Facebook soon took root . The University of Maine reports there are now 4.8 billion social media users worldwide , representing 92.7 percent of all internet users . And according to the American Family Survey 2023 , 96 percent of parents say their kids have access to at least one social media platform . Many use multiple online platforms daily .
Although social media may have originated as a means to bring people together , there are many who argue that it actually does the opposite . Instances of cyberbullying , which is a form of online harassment , have grown as social media has become more pervasive . Some experts believe that mental health concerns are an unexpected side effect of increased social media use , says Johns Hopkins Medicine . In fact , in the spring of 2023 , United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy , MD , MBA , released an advisory that suggested social
18 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | DECEMBER 2024