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Start Talking!
Know! Social
Media is Bringing Our Teens Down
12/4/2017
According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, there was a 33 percent increase in the number of teens
experiencing depression, a 23 percent rise in teen suicide attempts,
and a 31 percent surge in the number of teens who died by suicide in
the five years between 2010 to 2015. The National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline Foundation says suicide is now the second leading cause of
death for young people between the ages of 10 to 24.
What has gone wrong in the lives of our teens and why at such an
alarming rate? Despite the critical nature of this question, there are
no clear answers. There is, however, a great deal of speculation, and
many say our kids’ use of social media contributes to this high suicide
rate.
In a paper published in Clinical Psychological Science, researcher Jean
Twenge and her colleagues found significant increases in depression,
suicide attempts and suicide in teens from every background in late
2012. At the same time, smartphone ownership crossed the 50 percent
threshold. By 2015, just three years later the number of teens with
access to smartphones grew to a whopping 73 percent.
Twenge says that not only did smartphone use and depression increase in
tandem, but she and her research team also discovered that as teens
spent more time online they were more likely to display at least one
suicide risk factor. In fact, youth who spent five or more hours online
each day were 71 percent more likely than those who spent only one hour
a day online to have at least one suicide risk factor (depression,
thinking about suicide, making a suicide plan or attempting suicide).
The researchers found that spending more than two hours a day online
caused suicide risk factors to rise significantly.
There are several key elements of social media that can cause a teen –
or person of any age for that matter – harm.
Cyberbullying: We’ve heard a lot on this topic: new-age, adolescent
bullying that takes place on digital devices, mainly on cell phones,
with the intent to embarrass, hurt, or humiliate another. It has become
a common occurrence with nearly 43 percent of teens reporting having
been bullied online at least once, per DoSomething.org.
Picture-Perfect Lives: Teens spend hours upon hours scrolling through
Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media feeds that feature images
of their peers hanging out together and having the time of their lives,
BFFs smiling and posing for the camera, and pictures from epic parties
where only a select group was invited. It is no surprise that such
images cause others to feel left out, disconnected and ultimately
unworthy.
Social Isolation: Social isolation is a major risk factor for
depression and suicide. More time spent online means less time spent
face-to-face with others, and less time spent doing activities that
promote mental health, like getting exercise, volunteering, meeting new
friends and participating in group activities.
Sleep Deficit: Inadequate sleep is another major risk factor for
depression and suicide. Youth who spend a great deal of time on their
phones are more likely than others not to be getting the sleep they
need. Texts, instant messages, and other signals to pick up that phone
come in all hours of the night and may be too tempting to avoid.
At this point, you may be considering returning a smartphone purchased
as a gift for your teen, but you should know that we’re not necessarily
encouraging that. What we are encouraging is that you to keep an eye
out for the New Year Know! Tip to follow, as we’ll provide important
steps you can take to help protect your child from a potential downward
smartphone spiral.
In the meantime, if you have mental health concerns regarding your
child, don’t hesitate to reach out to your pediatrician or call the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK [8255]).
Remember to follow Start Talking! on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Learn how to get the drug prevention conversation started at
StartTalking.Ohio.Gov.
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