Chentsova Dutton and her team interviewed students from Turkey, Russia, Canada and the United States, asking them to describe a risky or dangerous experience they had in the last month. Both Turkish and Russian students described witnessing events that involved actual risk: violent fights on public transportation; hazardous driving conditions caused by drunk drivers; women being aggressively followed on the street. 

But American students were far more likely to cite as dangerous things that most adults do every day, like being alone outside or riding alone in an Uber.

The American students’ risk threshold was comparatively “quite low,” according to Chentsova Dutton. Students who reported they gained independence later in childhood — going to the grocery store or riding public transportation alone, for example — viewed their university campus as more dangerous; those same students also had fewer positive emotions when describing risky situations. 

Chentsova Dutton hypothesizes that when students have fewer opportunities to practice autonomy, they have less faith in themselves that they can figure out a risky situation. “My suspicion is that low autonomy seems to translate into low efficacy,” she said. “Low efficacy and a combination of stress is associated with distress,” like anxiety and depression. Learn more by reading  the report.

Also see the Play & Independence: Let Grow Website that is mentioned in the report.

Source: KQED Website

Key Findings:

• • Social media has both positive and negative impacts on children and adolescents' mental health.

  • Potential benefits of social media use include access to information, social support, and self-expression.

  • Potential harms of social media use include exposure to harmful content and excessive or problematic use.

Recommendations:

• Policymakers should take action by implementing policies to create safe online environments for children.

• Technology companies should prioritize user health and safety in the design and development of social media products and services.

• Parents and caregivers should be proactive in monitoring and guiding their children's social media use.

• Children and adolescents should be educated about responsible social media use and encouraged to seek help when needed.

• Researchers should conduct further studies to better understand the impact of social media on youth mental health.

• Transparency and sharing of assessment findings and data with independent researchers and the public should be encouraged.

• Potential risks of online interactions should be assessed, and steps should be taken to prevent misuse and reduce exposure to harm.

• Scientific advisory committees should be established to inform policies and approaches for creating safe online environments for children.

• Developmental psychology and user mental health expertise should be leveraged in product teams to minimize risks of harm to children and adolescents.

• Default settings for children should be set to the highest safety and privacy standards, with clear information about policies regarding use by children.

Please note that these are just a few key findings and recommendations from the PDF. The full document contains more detailed information and additional recommendations.