Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has expressed his astonishment at YouTube’s recent decision to restrict teenagers’ access to certain health and fitness videos. This move has sparked discussion about the potential impact of social media on young people’s mental health.
Last Sunday, Musk responded to a news update by Mario Nawfal highlighting YouTube’s attempt to protect teens from developing negative self-perceptions. Google’s video-sharing platform, YouTube, has decided to limit access to health and fitness videos that promote specific body types. They cited an insight given by their Advisory Committee, which suggests that teenagers are more likely than adults to form negative beliefs about themselves when exposed to repeated messages about ideal standards in online content.
The social media giant has stated that they are now restricting repeated recommendations of videos on content that compares physical features and idealizes some body types over others for teenagers worldwide.
This move by YouTube comes amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on teenagers’ mental health. In July 2024, Instagram, a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc., in collaboration with the Center for Open Science (COS), initiated an investigation into the effects of social media on teen mental health. Research has shown that exposure to idealized body images on social media platforms can lead to unhealthy behaviors and low self-worth among teenagers.
Musk’s reaction to this decision, a simple “Seriously?”, reflects a broader public debate about the role of social media in shaping young people’s perceptions of themselves and their bodies. This is not the first time Musk has expressed his views on YouTube’s policies. Last October, he joined millions of users worldwide in voicing their discontent with YouTube’s excessive advertising.
