If Honesty Is the Best Policy, Social Media Is Failing

Written by Amalia Shapiro

I have a confession to make: I can’t stop doomscrolling on TikTok. Doomscrolling, the newest Gen Z slang, perfectly encapsulates the addiction children and teens have to social media and how they are especially enamored by content that feeds streams of stress and anxiety into their heads. In a current study, the University of California, San Francisco reported that 25% of children use social media to forget about their problems, in turn, sucking themselves into the world of online chaos.

It is not just because people are addicted to their phones; social media platforms strategically utilize algorithms to track their users' every move, predict their behavior, and keep people on their platforms. These companies have a reason to keep users engaged: profitability. Platforms with higher activity rates will generate more revenue and deals in their ad streams, which only further encourages these manipulative tactics that negatively impact social media users. 

Social media platforms should be required to disclose their algorithmic tactics due to the harm they present: user addiction. Transparency can help mitigate harmful overuse of social media and encourage users to limit the time on these apps.

Platforms have gone too far. The addictive tactics employed by social media apps, such as push notifications and curated content, are not just enhancing user experience but, in reality, coercing users to spend more time on the app. Evidence suggests that daily usage of social media has led to a rise in common mental health concerns in adolescents, especially depression. To combat the mental health crisis we are currently facing, transparency of how social media platforms operate is a viable solution in lessening the impacts.                                                            

The lack of transparency removes informed consent for users. Although individuals agree to the terms and conditions when joining a social media platform, studies show that it is not truly informed consent because the terms and conditions are wordy and confusing. Users are not actually made aware of the addictive algorithms they are being exposed to. 

Policymakers have increasingly raised concerns about the impact of social media on public health and user safety. As a result, some experts and lawmakers have argued that social media companies should be more transparent about how their algorithms function and how they moderate content. Others have suggested that platforms should consider removing or limiting certain features designed to keep users constantly engaged, especially when those features may contribute to unhealthy or addictive patterns of use.

With these potential policy changes, people can be better informed of their social media usage and may be more inclined to change their online habits. If social media users really understand why they are so addicted, and have in-app features to remove the addictive algorithms, they will actually be able to alter the way they interact with social media and make a change to have a healthier online presence. Nutrition labels and cigarette warning labels are two ways product transparency can help reduce harm; social media needs to be next. 

While social media platforms themselves are not solely responsible for the epidemic, and users must also try to consider making better choices to mitigate their time on social media, it is hard to shut out the apps when the platforms alter feeds to increase dopamine hits, thus reinforcing user engagement.  

If there is no intervention for the sneaky behaviors of social media platforms, people will not be able to live their lives without being glued to their phones. Policy makers need to use their voice and minimize social media addiction and doomscrolling once and for all. So far, this past December, the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act has been introduced in congress. This is one positive step into reforming social media, and hopefully the government will continue to take action.

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