Editorial: 'Young people and social media, a sacrificed generation'

For the first time in history, a generation is growing up whose brains and fundamental way of experiencing the world have been shaped by addictive algorithms. Social media platforms like TikTok are profoundly impacting adolescents, and their own accounts reveal a deep unease.

According to a survey by the British Standards Institution, nearly half of young people surveyed wished they lived in a world without these platforms. This sentiment, far from being a blasphemous rejection of progress, reflects a growing awareness of the detrimental effects these digital environments have on their development.

Scientists and parents alike observe that this generation is suffering. The constant engagement with the commercialized networks of these platforms is demonstrably causing neuronal atrophy. Furthermore, their self-esteem is eroding in the face of a narcissistic, and at times perverse or criminal, online universe. Social connections, increasingly mediated by emojis rather than genuine encounters, are becoming impoverished or dissolving altogether.

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For the first time in history, a generation is growing up whose brains and fundamental way of experiencing the world have been shaped by addictive algorithms.