4 tips for parents struggling with social medias impact on kids (Guest Opinion by Michael Heath) [Video]

The Rev. Michael Heath, of Fayetteville, is a licensed mental health counselor and a United Church of Christ minister.

Recently, you may have heard that the Surgeon General of the United States urged Congress to place a “black box” warning label on social media. We’ve all seen them before on various prescription bottles as well as on all tobacco products.

In this case, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told Congress that the labels are needed because compelling evidence shows that children who watch more than five hours of social media a day are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression compared to those who do not.

In addition, studies reveal that kids who are heavily involved in social media like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok develop poor body image and self-esteem. The constant exposure to the perfect bodies and amazing accomplishments posted by their peers lead kids to experience a false sense of inferiority and inadequacy.

Many folks have been concerned about …