The rise of social media has dramatically reshaped how children and teens interact with the world. With nearly 95% of U.S. students between ages 13 and 17 using social media, according to recent studies, it’s clear that these platforms play a major role in young lives. However, this increased access also raises concerns about the impact of prolonged social media use on children’s mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being.
In response to growing alarm from educators, parents, and healthcare professionals, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued a strong call to action, advocating for more comprehensive regulation and oversight of social media platforms, particularly regarding their influence on young users.
The Surgeon General's recommendations focus on safeguarding students by addressing the detrimental effects of social media use, such as exposure to inappropriate content and the psychological effects of features designed to keep children continuously engaged.
Four National Measures to Protect Children from Harmful Social Media Use
Dr. Murthy has outlined four key measures that aim to protect K-12 age students from the negative impacts of social media:
Requiring social media companies to disclose data about their products’ impact on children’s mental health
Social media companies often hold critical data regarding how their platforms affect children's well-being, but this information is not easily accessible to the public or policymakers. Dr. Murthy advocates for full transparency from these companies, urging them to disclose how their algorithms and features impact young users' mental health.
Requiring companies to shield children from harmful content such as violence and pornography.
With easy access to the internet, children can be exposed to harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Surgeon General is calling on social media platforms to enforce stricter content moderation policies, particularly to protect young users from encountering violent, explicit, or harmful material.
Establishing and enforcing age requirements to use social media platforms
Despite existing policies stating that children under 13 cannot use social media platforms, the reality is quite different. A significant portion of children ages 8-12 are using these platforms, often without the proper safeguards in place. Enforcing age requirements and ensuring children below the age of 13 are not accessing these platforms without supervision is a crucial step Murthy is pushing for.
Restricting addictive features such as infinite scroll, "like" buttons, and autoplay videos
Features like infinite scrolling, "like" buttons, and autoplay videos are engineered to
maximize engagement, keeping children hooked on content for extended periods.
Dr. Murthy suggests establishing guidelines to limit or disable these features to prevent excessive screen time and foster healthier online habits among children.
These national measures are a critical first step toward addressing the growing crisis of mental health and well-being in young students, exacerbated by unregulated social media use. However, beyond these broader societal changes, there’s a pressing need for schools to address how students interact with digital tools in the classroom, particularly with school-issued devices.
Managing School-Issued Devices: Combating Distractions with Deledao’s AI-Driven Solution
As schools embrace technology, issuing laptops and tablets to students to enhance learning, they also face a significant challenge—ensuring that these devices are used for their intended academic purposes and do not become gateways to distracting or harmful social media content.
This is where innovative technologies like Deledao’s InstantAI™ come into play. Deledao offers an AI-driven, real-time solution to help schools keep students focused while using their devices, even in the face of constant digital distractions.
Key Features of Deledao’s Technology to Foster Responsible Digital Behavior
MediaMonitor™
Deledao’s MediaMonitor™ ensures that students are protected from inappropriate content in real time. Whether it’s explicit videos, violent imagery, or harmful social media content, Media Monitor continuously scans the web pages students are visiting, instantly filtering harmful media, and redirecting students to appropriate resources. This immediate intervention helps ensure that students aren’t passively consuming damaging content while online.
GameChanger™
Social media is not the only source of distraction. Online games, often easily accessible through school devices, can steal hours of productive learning time. Deledao’s GameChanger™ feature identifies and blocks access to time-wasting gaming websites, reducing one of the most common distractions in the classroom and ensuring students remain focused on educational tasks.
ProxyGuard™
Some tech-savvy students may attempt to bypass web filters through proxy sites, opening the door to unmonitored internet access. Deledao’s ProxyGuard™ technology automatically detects and blocks these attempts, ensuring that students can’t circumvent school policies and access distracting or harmful websites, including social media.
Promoting Positive Online Behavior with Deledao InstantAI™
Deledao's solutions go beyond just blocking distractions guiding students toward more responsible online behavior by creating a safe and focused digital environment to help foster a culture of accountability and responsible technology use. Deledao’s real-time filtering and behavioral analysis ensure that students are both protected from harmful content and encouraged to develop healthier digital habits.
As schools continue to integrate technology into the classroom, maintaining the balance between learning and distraction will remain a challenge. However, with tools like Deledao InstantAI™, Media Monitor™, GameChanger™, and ProxyGuard™, schools now have the ability to manage this balance effectively, ensuring that their devices remain educational tools rather than gateways to distraction.
Schools can take active steps to support the U.S. Surgeon General's call for healthier digital environments by implementing practices and technologies that help ensure students not only benefit from technology but do so in ways that protect their well-being and enhance their educational experience.
For more information on how Deledao can assist your district in helping students become more responsible users of social media, or to discuss how our solutions can support your school’s needs, please contact us by clicking here.