The impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers has reached a concerning level, resembling what some are calling the “new great depression.” According to a recent poll conducted by the University of Michigan, nearly half of teens now agree with phrases such as “I can’t do anything right,” “I do not enjoy life,” and “My life is not useful.” These figures have doubled in comparison to a decade ago, indicating a significant surge in depression and feelings of hopelessness among teenagers.
The annual University of Michigan poll, which has been conducted since 1991, involves 50,000 students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades nationwide. Participants are asked whether they agree with statements like “I can’t do anything right,” “I do not enjoy life,” and “My life is not useful.” Until 2012, the numbers remained relatively steady, but they sharply increased in the following year. Previously, fewer than 20% of students agreed with the phrase “I do not enjoy my life,” whereas now, half of them do.
The rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and now TikTok coincides with this alarming trend. Presently, teenagers spend up to nine hours a day engrossed in screens, with around half of them claiming to be online “almost constantly.” Consequently, screen time has replaced important developmental milestones, such as dating, obtaining a driver’s license, and part-time jobs.
Earlier this year, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning about the rise of teen depression and suicide in the social media era. While both boys and girls are affected, girls seem to bear the brunt of the trend. Experts suggest that platforms like Instagram exacerbate girls’ inclination to compare themselves and compete for social status, now measured in followers and likes.
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7 Responses
This is not BECAUSE of social media.
Social media is merely a concurrence and an exacerbator.
Teenagers are depressed because life in 2023 is meaningless.
Its about being “comfortable”, a very difficult ‘constant’ to attain, so of course life is terrible.
But when life had purpose, to one extent or another, discomfort was part of the challenge.
It’ll be interesting to know where you got this from. Mental health is a complex and the approach to simply state that life is “meaningless” does not seem to be accurate. It also may have nothing to do with social media and may be based on other factors like political and economic insecurity and higher youth unemployment which may be a factor. It’ll be interesting to see a specific demographic and socioeconomic breakdown of the data to see possible trends.
It’s also interesting why you think comfortable is a difficult constant to attain. As long as someone can have normal utilities and food, life is pretty comfortable. The problem lies in external factors which concern people even if it may not be actually related to their lives.
can’t even consider this at all, what else will the world come up with …. let them get jobs, let them. understand life, then let them learn how to question and with regards to children in Americas…..I really don’t give a crap___only place I have concern for is ISRAEL…..
The real cause is the crooked joe biden & his crazy liberalized democRATS sinking the world to an abominably low level of decency, and all the current crazy abnormal lifestyles which which are not in sync with the Divine plan of running this world which is the only correct plan {I refer you קריאת התורב למנחה של יום-הכיפורים for more specific details}
Because liberals are taking over education and teaching the young to be entitled little brats who are resentful about every small thing and busy with pronouns and other nonsense
@Dan The
Mental Health is not as complex as the “industry” would have you believe.
You have a lot of fancy terminology, which btw is a symptom of this overloaded generation.
Concepts are broken down and given definition, and thereby significance. Then we an attempt is made to counter that micro-trend while ignoring the “macro” picture that created the situation in the first place.
To argue that “comfort” ISNT the name of the game today ignores practically EVERY sector in society.
The entire economy is run of personal indulgence, all marketed as “something you deserve”!
Even merit based institutions, like school and workplaces, are shifting their definitions on what constitutes “success” to fit with people who haven’t attained it.
Peoples thoughts today must be validated, whether they are scientifically or logically sound, or not, disagreement is considered a moral flaw.
You can break down the demographics, but the fact is this culture is prevalent and affecting the entire western civilization (and eastern too).
Some have better ideologies, but this is the battle, those who keep to their other ideologies generally have more meaning in life, but when the lure of what our culture promotes on TV and Movies and EVERY media forum starts to seep in.
You will be met with depression.
There is long standing evidence that movies can cause depression.
The question is why.
To the scientists that be, its an enigma.
To sane people, its really not.