未成年のＳＮＳ利用 「深刻な影響」に警鐘 米医務総監

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米厚生省のビベック・マーシー医務総監は２３日、ソーシャルメディアが子どもや青少年のメンタルヘルスに深刻な影響を及ぼす危険性があるとして、保護者やＩＴ企業、規制当局に警鐘を鳴らす報告書を発表した。（写真は資料写真）
　厚生省によると、ソーシャルメディアを利用している未成年者は最大で９５％に上り、３０％以上が「ほぼ常時」利用しているとされる。
　マーシー氏は報告書で、ソーシャルメディアには子どもや青少年が他者とのつながりを得る利点もあるが、「過激で不適切、かつ有害なコンテンツ」も含まれており、自傷行為や自殺が「異常なことではなくなる」恐れがあると指摘。
　さらに、脳の発達にとって重要な時期を迎えている子どもたちが自分の外見への不満や摂食障害に悩んだり、うつ状態が長期化したり、ネット上でいじめを受けたりする危険性もあると警告している。
　政府に対しては、ソーシャルメディアに関する安全基準の強化を提言。ＩＴ企業には、自社製品が未成年者に与える影響を責任を持って評価し、研究者とデータを共有するよう求めた。
　また保護者には、子どもとの対面によるコミュニケーションを促進するために家庭内ではスマートフォンなどを使用しない機会を設け、ネット上での健全で責任ある行動を子どもに示して教育するよう助言した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/05/25-19:00）

The top US health official on Tuesday issued a stark warning to parents, tech companies and regulators, saying the evidence is growing that social media use may seriously harm children.
In a lengthy advisory, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy said that while not without benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.
Social media use by young people in the United States is nearly universal, with up to 95 percent of adolescents reporting using a social platform and more than a third saying they do so almost constantly, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Murthy's report said social media can help children and adolescents find a community to connect, but that it also contains extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content, which can normalize self-harm and suicide.
It can perpetuate body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and depression and expose children to online bullying while they are undergoing a critical stage in brain development, the report warned.
Murthy called on policymakers to strengthen safety standards around social media and urged tech companies to responsibly assess the impact of their products on children and share data with researchers.
He also advised parents to establish tech-free zones at home in order to promote in-person communication, and to educate children by modelling healthy, responsible online behavior.
The report comes at a time when authorities across the United States are searching for ways to regulate social media use, and curb its ill-effects on young people in particular.
Earlier this month, the US state of Montana banned the use of TikTok on its territory. The Chinese-owned video sharing giant is challenging the decision in court. And in March, Utah became the first US state to require social media sites to get parental consent for accounts used by minors.
We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis -- one that we must urgently address, Murthy said.