DiMartino Discusses the Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Newsday interviewed Associate Professor of Psychology Melissa DiMartino, Ph.D., about the impact of social media on children and teen’s mental health. As Australia’s government considers whether to ban social media access for children under age 16, she contends that parents should be the ones stepping in and managing children’s screen time and social media usage. DiMartino, who has conducted separate studies on parenting and how technology affects young people’s mental well-being, told Newsday that society would benefit more by providing youngsters with the tools they need to safely navigate the social media landscape. The onus to do this, she says, falls on parents.

“Parents really need to be monitoring their children…We should treat the internet as it is, which is a very dangerous place for children,” she said.