DURING my time at Pakistan’s embassy in France, I once attended a dinner with some French parliamentarians. The discussion turned to the impact of social media on families. When I mentioned that my 13-year-old daughter had a Facebook account, all the women around the table reacted with utter disbelief. They firmly believed that children should not be allowed to use social media till adulthood. Taking their advice to heart, I made some considerable efforts to regulate my children’s use of social media, though with limited success.
In the United States, the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) conducted multiple studies and tracked the same individuals over a period, providing data on how social media use impacts mental health over time. The studies showed that at an individual level, there are mental health concerns, such as increased anxiety and depression, with cyberbullying adding to emotional distress.
Besides, excessive screen time seriously disrupts sleep patterns, affecting overall health and academic performance of the students regardless of their age.
Based upon these as well as other findings, the PHSCC emphasised the need for stricter age verification measures, enhanced parental control, comprehen-sive education on digital literacy, facil- itated access to mental health support, and active promotion of community and extracurricular activities.
We, in Pakistan, would do well to follow these steps. Integrating digital literacy into school curricula may ensure a safer and healthier environment for our children.
Qamar Bashir
Islamabad
Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2024
