Exploring impact of social media use on teens

In terms of LGBTQ+ youth, specifically, Price pointed less to policies surrounding social media use and more to the record amounts of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation seen in statehouses across the country in recent years.

In only a little over a month into 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already counted over 250 anti-LGBTQ+ bills – many targeting the lives of queer youth, from sports to healthcare to the classroom. In fact, according to the ACLU, the majority of the legislation, 120, targets schools and education. In second place, with 82, are bills seeking to restrict LGBTQ+ healthcare, mostly transition-related services for trans minors (some lawmakers have even started to target trans adults, as well).

Late last month, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, signed into law a bill that bans minors in the state from receiving gender-affirming care – the first such measure signed this year. It was somewhat of a departure for Cox, who was celebrated last year for vetoing an anti-trans sports bill.

“I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion,” he wrote in his veto letter. “I also try to get proximate and I am learning so much from our transgender community. They are great kids who face enormous struggles.”

In a statement, Cathryn Oakley – the HRC’s state legislative director and senior counsel – said Cox signing the anti-trans healthcare bill “has directly placed the LGBTQ+ youth he previously claimed to want to protect in harm’s way.”

“Politicians with no medical training and no real understanding of the harmful impact these bans have on transgender people should have no say in how best practice, age appropriate care is delivered,” she added.

Cox, in a statement issued announcing his approval of the bill, argued “pausing these permanent and life-altering treatments for new patients until more and better research can help determine the long-term consequences” was necessary. Many major medical groups in the U.S. – including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics –support gender-affirming care for minors and oppose legislation aiming to restrict it.

“While we understand our words will be of little comfort to those who disagree with us, we sincerely hope that we can treat our transgender families with more love and respect as we work to better understand the science and consequences behind these procedures,” Cox said.

The legislative attacks aren’t going anywhere, either. Terry Schilling, the president of the conservative American Principles Project, told The Times in a Jan. 25 article that anti-LGBTQ+ bills are a “political winner.” uplifts LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health and wellbeing.”

Furthermore, many states across the country already have anti-LGBTQ+ measures in place. According to the Movement Advancement Project (LGBT MAP), six states have laws on the books that censor discussions of LGBTQ+ people or issues in school; four states ban or restrict best medical care for trans youth; and 18 states prohibit trans students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity. The group also rates 21 states “low” or “negative” for their LGBTQ+ policies.

Larkins’ online life has changed dramatically since the days of pandemic-induced lockdowns, they told the Blade. Last year, Larkins found themselves in The Times again –but not over internet drama. Instead, their appearance was as a guest writer, explaining how Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill will hurt teens in the state. (Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation, limiting classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity, in March 2022.)

“I have come to realize that those who have been so openly hateful toward me often knew little about the queer community — they thought being L.G.B.T.Q. was a conscious choice,” Larkins, the president and a co-founder of the school’s Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of a mass student walkout over the bill, wrote in the essay. “Education didn’t just give me a sense of self worth but also the knowledge of a community and lifeline there for countless young people.”

Reflecting on their social media use, Larkins said they felt like their phone “was pulling me away from moments I was having in my real life.” It was something they became aware of around the time their essay was published in The Times.

“I was spending more time with mature people who would go to dinner, go get coffee, and they wouldn’t be on their phone,” Larkins said. “They’d be present with the person who’s in front of them. And I’m a high schooler still addicted to my phone like everyone else, so I would be the only one who would check their phone at these more sophisticated events and things.”

These policies affect the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth, according to The Trevor Project – and it even affects how they are treated. The recent poll found 86% of trans and nonbinary youth said recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health; 75% of LGBTQ youth say that both anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes and threats of violence against LGBTQ+ spaces often give them stress or anxiety; and 45% of trans youth experienced cyberbullying.

“The harmful rhetoric and vitriolic debates surrounding these bills, and the confidence they give people to make anti-LGBTQ+ remarks in public spaces, are being felt online and taking a negative toll on the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth,” Price said.

So in addition to ensuring that online communities are safer and more supportive of LGBTQ+ youth, Price also urged policymakers to “pass legislation that protects and

I started noticing [my phone] was pulling me away from these moments, and it was a source of stress,” they added. “It really just came together for me.”

Larkins also realized that social media was “fake,” they said. “I had a persona [online]; I was just fake,” Larkins said. The final breaking point was during Larkins’ spring break last year when they were reflecting on their phone usage. “I looked back at how much time I’d wasted,” they said.

Now, Larkins uses social media as a tool, limiting their usage to their laptop. “I started cutting down,” they said. “I completely deleted TikTok, and I started setting a time for myself to check my social media.”

That made Larkins have “think of things to do,” they said. “I discovered so much about myself, about things that I liked about myself, about skills that I had, things that I was interested in, places in my neighborhood that I’d never explored,” Larkins said. “I was bored, and I let myself be bored – which is terrifying that kids just don’t have that anymore.”