Parental supervision of children’s accounts is a welcome addition to social platforms as it can help prevent addiction among young users, but what if it only exists as a filler and doesn’t really curb children’s excessive use of social media? It may sound amazing, but that’s what has been revealed in an internal investigation at Meta, known as “Project MYST”.
The research was carried out in collaboration with the University of Chicago. It found that parental monitoring and controls – such as time limits and limited access – have minimal impact on teenagers’ compulsive use of social media.
It also indicated that youth who experience stressful life events are more likely to struggle with moderating their social media habits.
Key results of Meta’s project MYST
These revelations emerged during a recent lawsuit in Los Angeles County where the plaintiff, identified as Kaley, along with her mother, sued social media companies for creating “addictive and dangerous” products.
She claims in her lawsuit that these platforms contribute to anxiety, depression and other mental health problems among young users.
Kaley’s attorney cited findings from Project MYST, which concluded that parental involvement has little effect on teens’ awareness of their social media use, based on a survey of 1,000 teens and their parents.
The study also outlined that both parents and teens agreed that there was no significant relationship between parental supervision and how teens engaged in social media.
The stark truth indicates that tools such as built-in parental controls on platforms like Instagram are insufficient to prevent users from overusing.
