Vincent Grippi

Sep 137 min read

Can Social Media Age Limits Save Mental Health?

Updated: Dec 18

The Grip is a newsletter that compiles essential news and insights for bold healthcare marketers, brought to you by Grippi Media.

Could age limits on social media be the missing link to improving mental health in our youth?

Over 40% of teens report feeling anxious or depressed due to social media use, per Pew Research Center .

As countries like Australia and the US are considering age restrictions for social media use, the debate over its impact on mental health is heating up.

Can social media age limits really protect mental health? If so, how can they be effectively reinforced?

In issue 15 of The Grip newsletter, we dive into the effect of social media on mental health and what’s being done to tackle it.

Other stories from this issue include:

👉 Google On When Not To Worry About Traffic Fluctuations

👉 How the AI Race Could Play a Role in Google’s Antitrust Trial

👉 Should Use AI for Blog Writing?

👉 Are You Overpaying For Your Medical Bills?

All this and much more in issue 15 of The Grip!

I Can’t Believe That’s a Keyword

Using Semrush, we hunt down bizarre (and totally real) search queries and try to answer them.

This Week’s Keyword: Where am I right now?

Avg. Monthly Search Volume: 110,000

Answer: I sincerely hope I never have to Google this myself.

Top Stories We’re Tracking

Essential marketing and healthcare headlines of the week.

Australia Plans Social Media Minimum Age Limit, Angering Youth Digital Advocates

Australia plans to introduce a minimum age limit for children using social media, citing concerns about the mental and physical health impacts on young people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the move, stating that the government will conduct an age verification trial before implementing the law, likely setting the age between 14 and 16. Albanese emphasized the importance of kids engaging in real-world activities instead of being absorbed in social media, which he says is causing social harm.

If passed, Australia would become one of the first countries to impose such restrictions, although similar attempts in other regions, like the European Union, have previously failed due to concerns about limiting minors' online rights. Digital rights advocates argue that the age limit could push young people into unsafe, unregulated online spaces.

📄 Read Article (Source: Reuters)

US Attorney Generals Endorse Plan for Social Media Warning Labels

A coalition of over 40 U.S. state attorneys general has urged Congress to implement safety labels on social media platforms to warn of potential risks to children, in line with a proposal from the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Murthy highlights the growing mental health crisis among adolescents, pointing to studies that link extensive social media use to increased risks of anxiety and depression.

Per Statista, on average, young people spend 4.8 hours a day on social media and many report negative body image effects.

Murthy suggests that social media platforms should display warning labels similar to those on cigarette packaging, citing evidence that such labels can raise awareness and change behavior.

Still, this softer approach faces criticism, as many doubt the impact of warning labels, noting how often terms of service and similar notices are ignored. Murthy’s proposal, however, extends beyond labels, advocating for stronger safeguards against harassment, exploitation, and data collection targeting teens.

📄 Read Article (Source: Social Media Today)

Should Social Media Be Restricted to Users Over 16?

What should the age limit on social media be, and how can it be effectively enforced? Current age verification tools largely rely on user honesty, and no definitive solution has been found to stop teens from lying about their age.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram , suggests pushing the responsibility to app stores like Google and Apple, requiring parental permission for users under 16 to download certain apps...because of course!

In fairness, this could be a more workable solution than leaving individual apps to manage their own verification systems. However, apps like Snap Inc. and TikTok, which have large teenage user bases, could be hit harder by such restrictions.

While Meta publicly supports age limits, it’s also lowering age requirements for its Horizon Worlds VR platform, raising questions about whether it’s truly committed to protecting teens or just shifting the issue to new platforms.

While age restrictions might seem effective in theory, implementing them successfully is another challenge altogether. To mitigate the impact of social media on youth mental health, we must prioritize media literacy. As social media use becomes increasingly pervasive and invasive, and harmful AI-generated content like deepfakes becomes more widespread, it’s more crucial than ever to equip young people with the skills to navigate media responsibly.

📄 Read Article (Source: Social Media Today)

Google On When Not To Worry About Traffic Fluctuations

In a recent Reddit, Inc. exchange, Google's Senior Search Analyst John Mueller offered reassuring advice for those concerned about traffic fluctuations on their websites. A user shared their anxiety over fluctuating clicks and impressions, interpreting every spike or dip as alarming.

Mueller explained that small traffic numbers can make minor changes appear more significant than they are, referencing the “Strong Law of Small Numbers.” For websites with low traffic, even a difference of one or two clicks can cause a dramatic-looking spike or drop, whereas larger traffic volumes make these fluctuations less noticeable.

Mueller’s key message was to consider the scale of traffic changes before reacting. A sudden drop may look alarming, but it may simply represent a minor shift in numbers. He emphasized the importance of focusing on long-term trends rather than day-to-day fluctuations, which are often misleading. Additionally, it’s important to understand that minor traffic changes are normal, especially for smaller and newer sites.

📄 Read Article (Source: Search Engine Journal)

AI Briefing: How the AI Race Could Play a Role in Google’s Antitrust Trial

Google’s upcoming antitrust trial, initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice, focuses on the company’s dominance in digital advertising, but industry experts believe the case could have major implications for the future of AI. While the trial centers on Google's past actions in ad tech, it could shape how AI tools are used in advertising, content creation, and search.

Critics argue that Google is using AI to blur market boundaries, avoiding accountability while strengthening its grip on the digital advertising landscape. Google's AI-driven tools, like its Performance Max platform, raise concerns about transparency and fairness, as Google can leverage its vast data resources to scale these tools faster than its competitors.

The DOJ has also highlighted Google’s self-preferential algorithms and practices like “Project Bernanke,” which allegedly helped lock in publishers and suppress rival platforms. There’s a growing fear that AI revenue-sharing agreements could further entrench Google’s dominance, potentially limiting innovation and competition in the AI space.

The trial’s outcome could have lasting effects on both the advertising and AI industries, determining how dominant players like Google operate in the future.

📄 Read Article (Source: Digiday)

Should You Use AI for Blog Writing?

AI is transforming the way marketers work, streamlining tasks and making operations more efficient.

In fact, HubSpot found that 64% of marketers have used AI in various aspects of their jobs.

But when it comes to using AI in blogging, opinions are split.

Blogging is a cornerstone of SEO strategy, but let’s be real—it can be a grind. Researching, writing, editing, and optimizing content can eat up a lot of time and resources.

AI can make this process smoother, faster, and cheaper, freeing marketers to focus on bigger projects.

But is it really that simple?

In the latest blog from Grippi Media, we explore:

💡How Google REALLY feels about AI content (Hint: It’s complicated!)

💡Why search behavior is shifting and what it means for your content strategy

💡Key frameworks to creating unique, rank-worthy content that resonates with your audience

Featuring research from: Optimize.ai, Cloudflare, Vectara, and more.

📄 Read Article

Our Latest Podcasts

Recent episodes of the podcasts that we produce.

Are You Overpaying For Your Medical Bill?

Chances are you've been hit with a medical bill far more expensive than you expected.

If so, you're not alone.

According to Etactics, an estimated 80% of medical bills contain errors, resulting in delayed payments, worse care, and frustration.

But why does this happen, and who's responsible?

In this episode of CareTalk Podcast: Healthcare. Unfiltered., David E. Williams and John Driscoll dive into the complex, confusing, and often painful world of medical billing, discussing how you can protect yourself from unethical and erroneous charges.

📲 Listen to the full episode

Helping Providers Improve Revenue Cycle Management

Both patients and providers are more than familiar with the headaches associated with collecting payments.

According to the Peterson Center on Healthcare, approximately 14 million people in the U.S. owe over $1,000 in medical debt and about 3 million people owe medical debt of more than $10,000.

Making things worse, even in 2024, these payment collection systems are often antiquated, inefficient, and add to the stress of often already difficult medical situations.

In this episode of HealthBiz Briefs, Tom Furr, CEO of PatientPay, reveals how things like the Affordable Care Act are driving out-of-pocket costs and what the solutions are for supporting providers in collections without damaging patient opinions in the process.

📲 Listen to the full episode

What We’re Listening To

New music that has been inspiring us.

make 2nite - Float Mix 13

If you've been keeping up with The Grip, you're probably already aware of my DJ'ing project, make 2nite. My latest mix, Float 13, brings together some of the best deep house tracks of 2024 in a seamless, hour-long set that’s perfect for setting the mood—whether you’re powering through a workout or diving into deep-focus work at your desk.

🎧 Listen Now