Is Facebook turning your teenager into a narcissist? A new study finds that daily overuse of Facebook can contribute to psychological and health problems in young users, though the site has proven beneficial among those who are more introverted.
Obsessively using anything is probably not good for your health, whether it's video games, exercise, or Facebook. But in a recent study, Dr. Larry D. Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, found that "teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania, and aggressive tendencies."
Facebook overuse can also negatively impact learning and grades, Rosen said. That revelation shouldn't really be a surprise, though. Updating your status isn't really going to help you ace that history test.
"While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young people, we are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives," Rosen said in a statement.
The positive impacts cited by Rosen include helping introverted kids improve their social skills, the development of "virtual empathy" for online friends, and using social networking as a teaching tool.
Maybe kids should be checking Facebook on their phones. A recent study found that while smartphones contribute to the development of a "checking habit," those habits are not yet harmful to our health.
Much of the negativity around Facebook and teens has focused on cyber bullying. It's a lot easier for a kid to hurl an insult from behind a computer monitor or smartphone screen, but unlike a note passed in class or a comment made in the locker room, the Internet posting lives forever and has a much wider audience.
In its defense, Facebook is well aware of cyber bullying and has done its part to try and combat the problem. In conjunction with March's White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, Facebook upgraded its reporting system to allow users to notify someone they trust if they are the victim of bullying or online harassment. The social-networking site has also partnered with Time Warner Cable and GLAAD, among others, to spread the world about the impact of cyber bullying.
Ultimately, it's up to parents and teachers to stay abreast of what their kids are doing online. For parents considering the use of monitoring software to keep an eye on their kids' Facebook use, however, think again, Rosen said. "Your child will find a workaround in a matter of minutes. You have to start talking about appropriate technology use early and often and build trust, so that when there is a problem, whether it is being bullied or seeing a disturbing image, your child will talk to you about it."
Parents need to pay attention to trends, and listen, not preach. " You need to talk to your kids, or rather, listen to them," Rosen said. "The ratio of parent listen to parent talk should be at least five-to-one. Talk one minute and listen for five."
A March study found that just 26 percent of K-12 teachers have taught kids how to handle cyber bullying, versus 15 percent of those who have talked to kids about hate speech online.
At this point, kids under 13 are not allowed on Facebook, though Consumer Reports recently reported that there are approximately 7.5 million underage kids on the social networking site. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg made headlines recently when he said younger children should be allowed on the site for education purposes.
"In the future, software and technology will enable people to learn a lot from their fellow students," Zuckerberg said in May. Allowing younger kids on the site might "be a fight we take on at some point," he said, because "my philosophy is that for education you need to start at a really, really young age."
Facebook, however, will have to get around the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which bans Web sites from collecting information from users under 13.