For many people, especially younger generations, social media is an integral part of their daily routines. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok have changed the way people communicate, share information and connect.

While social media has its benefits, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for a better understanding of social media’s influence on adolescent health and development. The organization convened a consensus committee composed of experts from various disciplines to examine current research about social media’s effects on the mental and physical health of young people.

Amanda E. Guyer, professor with the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology, was among the members of the committee, that for the past year, developed recommendations around platform design and accountability, digital media literacy, harassment and abuse, and facilitating research. Guyer said the charge of this committee was to address a significant societal challenge to health and well-being that involves understanding the complexities of human behavior.

“The report can be used to reach parents, educators, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and social media companies with information about what is known, and depending on the audience, ways to use the information to best support youth because social media surrounds them,” Guyer said.

Guyer, who is also associate director of the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, helped provide specific expertise on brain development, social-emotional development and developmental needs among adolescents.

“Adolescence marks the second wave of substantial brain development,” Guyer said. “Adolescence is such an interesting time of life because so many changes are occurring in tandem. Peers become particularly important and hugely influential in daily life. An inherent feature of adolescence is being tuned into what other people think, what other people are doing, and wearing, and so on.”

The comprehensive report offers nearly a dozen recommendations for social media companies, lawmakers, educational leaders, and others to minimize the harm of social media use on adolescents’ health while maximizing its benefits. Among the recommendations is that social media companies should participate in the development of a new set of industry standards for design, transparency and data use. The report also says the U.S. Department of Education should draw attention to digital media literacy, and state boards of education should set curriculum standards for the topic.

The report and additional resources, including a brief explanation page for parents, is available online.