Speaker A
Hello. This is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Beth? What are you doing? Get off your phone!
Explore how social media impacts teenage mental health, addiction risks, and parental challenges in this 6 Minute English episode by BBC Learning English.
Key Takeaways
- Social media can be as addictive as gambling, especially for adolescents.
- Excessive social media use is linked to increased risks of depression and anxiety in teenagers.
- Algorithms drive addictive content delivery to maximize advertising revenue.
- Parents bear significant responsibility but face difficulties controlling their teens' social media use.
- Awareness and regulation are crucial to protect teenage mental health.
What the video covers
- The video discusses the addictive nature of social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Threads among teenagers.
- Research shows adolescents spending over three hours daily on social media have double the risk of depression and anxiety.
- Social media algorithms promote addictive content to keep users engaged, prioritizing advertising revenue over mental health.
- 64% of teens report regular exposure to hate-based content, negatively affecting their body image and wellbeing.
- Experts suggest the US is regulating social media for teens, and some believe the UK should follow suit.
- Parents face challenges managing their teenagers' social media use, often feeling the responsibility to find solutions alone.
- The programme introduces key vocabulary such as adolescent, algorithms, revenue, onus, and losing battle.
- 90% of people aged 13 to 24 use Snapchat, highlighting its popularity among young users.
- The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding social media’s impact on mental health and the role of parents and policymakers.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and social media addiction
- 00:25Popular social media apps and usage
- 00:42Research on social media and mental health risks
- 01:18Health expert opinions and regulation efforts
- 01:46Vocabulary introduction and quiz question
- 02:04Concerns about algorithms and addictive content
- 03:13Advertising revenue and its impact on content
- 04:02Parental challenges and responsibility
- 04:51Quiz answer and vocabulary recap
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Oh, sorry! And I'm Beth. Are you addicted to social media? It wouldn't be a surprise.
Speaker A
With so many different apps out there, Snapchat, TikTok, and the latest, Threads, it's easy to spend a lot more time on your phone than ever before.
Speaker A
Yes, I don't think I'm addicted, but I definitely spend more time on social media than I'd like to.
Speaker A
However, there are plenty of studies out there looking at how social media affects mental health, with some saying it can be as addictive as gambling. Research in the US has found that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media
Speaker A
have double the risk of developing depression and anxiety. An adolescent is someone aged ten to nineteen, between childhood and adulthood. With that in mind, it's no wonder parents are worried. To help with this, the US is currently in the process of regulating social media apps for teenagers.
Speaker A
Some scientists think the UK should do the same. There has been growing agreement among health experts about the negative chronic health effects of social media use on teenagers.
Speaker A
They have revealed in surveys that social media makes them feel worse about their body image, and 64% of teens have said they are regularly exposed to hate-based content. In this programme, we'll be discussing how social media affects teenagers and,
Speaker A
as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well. But first I have a question for you, Beth.
Speaker A
The app Snapchat is a very common way that teenagers communicate these days. This is partly because messages and photos disappear after a certain time period.
Speaker A
But what percentage of thirteen to twenty-four year olds use Snapchat? Is it: a) 70%, b) 80%, or c) 90%?
Speaker A
Hmm, I'll guess 80%. OK, Beth. I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. A lot of social media platforms, such as TikTok, work by showing and suggesting similar accounts and content to those someone has already searched for. Professor Devi Sridhar,
Speaker A
the Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, thinks this can be concerning, as she told BBC World Service programme, Inside Science. And this is worrying, for example, with young girls and eating disorders, that they're being fed that
Speaker A
in an addictive way and the algorithm saying, "Oh, they like that content. We want to keep giving it to them because it keeps them on their phones," and I think that's the really vital message here, of any of these apps,
Speaker A
is that their revenue comes from advertising. Teenagers are being fed content in a way that is addictive.
Speaker A
If you are fed something, it means you're given something. In this case, it refers to content, not food.
Speaker A
The content is addictive because social media uses algorithms. Algorithms are a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user sees.
Speaker A
But we need to remember that social media platforms use algorithms to keep users on the platforms for as long as possible because their revenue comes from advertising. Revenue is the money a company earns. They're paid by other companies
Speaker A
to use the social media space to promote their products. This could be seen as social media platforms prioritising making money over the mental health of users – a worry for parents.
Speaker A
Professor Devi Sridhar talked about the challenges of having a teenager addicted to social media on BBC World Service programme, Inside Science.
Speaker A
And so I think the challenge here, as a parent, listening to this is what you do about it.
Speaker A
And I think the onus has been put on parents and concerned adults to find solutions on their own.
Speaker A
And that means debates with your child over what are you on, are you using this, but it's a losing battle because it's their entire social network.
Speaker A
Professor Sridhar says that, when it comes to helping teenagers navigate social media, the onus has been put on parents to find solutions.
Speaker A
The onus means the responsibility or duty. Parents need to be able to challenge their children when they need to, even if this is a losing battle, a fight they cannot win as teenagers have their entire life on social networks.
Speaker A
OK, Beth. I think it's time I reveal the answer to my question. I asked you what percentage of thirteen to twenty-four year olds use Snapchat.
Speaker A
And I said it was 80%. And that was, I'm sorry to say, the wrong answer. Actually, 90% of people aged between thirteen and twenty-four use Snapchat – quite a lot.
Speaker A
OK, let's recap the vocabulary we have learned from this programme, starting with adolescent – a person aged ten to nineteen, between childhood and adulthood.
Speaker A
If you are fed content, you are given content. This is what the social media platform offers you automatically rather than what you search for yourself. Algorithms are a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user
Speaker A
sees. Revenue is the money a company earns which could come from sales or advertising. If the onus is on someone, it's their responsibility or duty.
Speaker A
And finally, a losing battle is a fight you cannot win. Once again, our six minutes are up.
Speaker A
Join us again soon for more useful vocabulary here at Six Minute English. Goodbye for now. Bye.
Topics:social mediateenage healthmental healthaddictionSnapchatTikTokalgorithmsBBC Learning Englishparentingadolescents
