News Mashup for September 2021
Instagram Kids Project Suspended
In August, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn asked Facebook to release its internal research on the impact of Instagram on youth mental health. Facebook declined, telling the senators that its internal research is proprietary and “kept confidential to promote frank and open dialogue and brainstorming internally.”
Last week, a whistleblower leaked an internal slide presentation summarizing Facebook’s research to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Reports from WSJ’s Facebook Files reveal:
“Facebook’s own evidence shows Instagram can be damaging for many. In one study of teens in the U.S. and U.K., Facebook found that more than 40% of Instagram users who reported feeling “unattractive” said the feeling began on the app. About a quarter of the teens who reported feeling “not good enough” said the feeling started on Instagram.”
The revelations of what Facebook knew, and did not publicly disclose, set off a barrage of criticism from lawmakers, advocacy groups, and parents, including comparisons to the tobacco industry’s cover-up of the health risks associated with cigarette smoking.
On September 25, Facebook announced it was suspending work on its version of Instagram tailored specifically to youth. Click on the links below to learn more.
Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz and Deepa Seetharaman. September 14, 2021. The Facebook files: Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2021 from https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039 .
Note: The WSJ Facebook Files is behind a paywall, but the leaked Facebook research presentation was published on September 29 by the WSJ and is freely available here: https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/teen-girls-body-image-and-social-comparison-on-instagram.pdf .
Jemima McEvoy. September 14, 2021. Facebook internal research found Instagram can be very harmful to young girls, report says. Forbes. Retrieved September 30, 2021 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/09/14/facebook-internal-research-found-instagram-can-be-very-harmful-to-young-girls-report-says/?sh=5dc2daf75a2a.
Sonja Sharp. September 20, 2021. What your kids wish you knew about Instagram. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 29, 2021 from https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2021-09-20/8-to-3-instagram-8-to-3 .
Aaron Gregg and Elizabeth Dwoskin. September 27, 2021. Facebook hits pause on Instagram Kids app amid growing scrutiny. Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2021 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/09/27/facebook-instagram-kids/ .
Matt Grossman. September 27, 2021. Facebook to halt Instagram Kids project amid pressure from lawmakers, parents groups. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2021 from https://www.wsj.com/?mod=nav_left_section .
Graison Dangor. September 30, 2021. Senators tear into Facebook over Instagram’s mental health impacts. Forbes. Retrieved September 30, 2021 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/09/30/senators-tear-into-facebook-over-instagrams-mental-health-impacts/?sh=42e035b24326 .
Marcy Gordon and Barbara Ortutay. September 30, 2021. Senators push Facebook executive on Instagram policies for youth. The Press Democrat. Retrieved September 30, 2021 from https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/senators-push-facebook-exec-on-instagram-policies-for-youth/.
Neighborhood Gun Violence Linked to Mental Health–Related Pediatric Emergency
New research published on-line by JAMA Pediatrics on September 20th shows a strong correlation between neighborhood gun violence and mental health–related pediatric emergency department (ED) visits. The study examined 128,683 pediatric ED encounters in Philadelphia, PA occurring within a quarter-mile radius of an incident of gun violence. For the 2,629 shootings identified in the study, 54,341 children living nearby had 1 or more mental health–related ED visits within 60 days of the event. In an interview with U.S. News and World Report, the authors emphasized that "gun violence affects the whole community, beyond the victims who are personally injured" and “disproportionately affects Black children and families, adding to existing health disparities." Click on the links below to learn more.
Vasan A., Mitchell H.K., Fein J.A., Buckler D.G., Wiebe D.J., and South E.C. September 20, 2021. Association of neighborhood gun violence with mental health–related pediatric emergency department utilization. JAMA Pediatrics. Retrieved September 29, 2021 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2784065 .
Niki Hawkins. September 20, 2021. The effect of gun violence on young people. ABC Action News WPVI Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved September 29, 2021 from https://6abc.com/gun-violence-trauma-in-children-teen-victims-shooting-death/11027581/ .
Steven Reinberg. September 21, 2021. Neighborhood gun violence means worse mental health for kids. U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved September 29, 2021 from https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-09-21/neighborhood-gun-violence-means-worse-mental-health-for-kids .
Harmful Effects of Policing on Youth
This month, Dr. Monique Jindal (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) and her co-authors published a comprehensive review of research examining how police exposure effects the well-being of youth in the US. Systematic review of 29 peer-reviewed studies representing 19,954 youth indicate an association between police exposure and adverse mental health with disproportionate impact on Black and Latino youth.
In California, scrutiny of policing and surveillance practices in schools show many instances of the disproportionate harm caused to students of color. An investigation published this month by ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, KPCC, and LAist, for example, found that six public high schools in the Lancaster School District in southern California accounted for about 300 of the district’s 4,000 “reasonable suspicion of criminal activity” stops. “When we compared the race of teens stopped with the demographics of those schools, the disparity was clear,” say the investigators. “Black teenagers accounted for 60 percent of the deputy contacts on campuses but made up only about 20 percent of the enrollment in those schools.”
In an EdSource commentary this month, Jasmine Williams points to similar disparities in northern California: “In the last four years alone, Black students in Oakland public schools accounted for 76% of arrests by school police, but just 26% of all students.” In this instance the findings have a hopeful counterbalance. In June 2020, the school board unanimously approved the George Floyd Resolution, committing to a shift of resources from policing to supportive services, including hiring of onsite therapists and social workers. Students started the 2021-2022 school year on police-free campuses. Click on the links below to learn more.
Jindal M, Mistry KB, Trent M, McRae A, and Thornton RLJ. September 07, 2021. Police exposures and the health and well-being of black youth in the US: a systematic review. JAMA Pediatrics. Retrieved September 20, 2021 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2783637# .
Heard-Garris N, Johnson TJ, and Hardeman R. September 07, 2021. The harmful effects of policing—from the neighborhood to the hospital. JAMA Pediatrics. Retrieved September 20, 2021 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2783642 .
Megan Brooks. September 20, 2021. Studies confirm physical and mental toll of policing on black youth. MedScape. Retrieved September 20, 2021 from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/958260 .
Jasmine Williams. September 21, 2021. Lessons from Oakland’s move to police-free schools. EdSource. Retrieved September 29, 2021 from https://edsource.org/2021/lessons-from-oaklands-move-to-police-free-schools/661400 .
Emily Elena Dugdale and Irena Hwang. September 29, 2021. In a California desert, sheriff’s deputies settle schoolyard disputes. Black teens bear the brunt. ProPublica. Retrieved September 30, 2021 from https://www.propublica.org/article/in-a-california-desert-sheriffs-deputies-settle-schoolyard-disputes-black-teens-bear-the-brunt .
More Stories in September: LGBTQ youths are less likely to play sports because of bullying -- and advocates fear they're missing out Detroit Free Press — 09.16.2021; L.A. County juvenile halls are ‘unsuitable for the confinement of youth,’ state board find Los Angeles Times — 09.16.2021; Mental health project; here are the basic facts about mental health and treatment in Washington state The Seattle Times — 09.19.2021; Colorado county leaders blast state officials over mental health, claim 69 foster kids are missing The Colorado Sun — 09.22.2021; Child welfare continuum of care reform: the promise, progress and moving forward Insights — 09.20.2021; Investing in student wellness in California Council for Strong America — 09.17.2021.
