New Research Shows Screen Time Is Not Directly Increasing Depression or Anxiety in Teenagers
‘Behind every man is a childhood’ – male survivor of sexual abuse speaks out
With kids coming home for Thanksgiving, parents need to know the danger signs for suicide risk
Good things, like Mental Health, take Time. Let’s be patient
Social media sites like Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc. get a lot of bad publicity when it comes to mental health. That’s understandable, because too many people who are vulnerable to bad ideas, use them to feel bad about themselves, or interact with people who hurt them. Social networks are made of people at the end…
How Allies Can Help the Disability Community’s Mental Health
They Needed Treatment. Mississippi Threw Them in Jail Without Charges.
What to Say When Someone Is Depressed: 14 Perfectly Worded Texts– If you want to reach out but aren’t sure how, maybe these suggestions combined with what you know about the person will help you find the words.
NoFiltr Resources Help Youth Navigate Online Risks– a resource for youth by youth and the Thorn organization.
Jen Winter sent me a link to an in-depth opinion piece she had written about the new TSA scanners and pat-down procedures in the US, specifically from the point of view of the mother of sexual abuse survivors. I’ve kept an eye on all of the latest news, and protests, about the new TSA procedures,…
I think that second quote is really the key. We’ve seen studies that are reported as showing that kids who use social media get more depression and anxiety, but those studies do not address the question of whether there’s any proof that the causality is in that direction and not the other. In other words, do teens who use social media a lot develop depression, or do depressed teens use social media more. This study seems to indicate it’s the latter. As we continue with a lot of social distancing, and activities being canceled and in person gatherings are very limited, we know everyone will be relying more on social media to stay connected, so this is an important question, and I think what this study, and others, really shows us is that there are ways to use social media as a positive influence on our mental health, and a way to use it that will not be a positive influence on our mental health.
In the physical world, we have these same choices. Do we interact with people who are toxic? Do we spend all of our time comparing ourselves to others? Do we isolate? Or do we find out tribe, our group of supportive friends/family that can interact socially in ways that help our mental health?
We all make those same choices on social media, but the key difference here is that if we simply don’t choose, and make no effort to make conscious decisions about who we follow and interact with, social network algorithms will make the decision for us. Anyone already struggling with mental health is maybe more likely to not spent much time thinking about these things, and just let the app show them what it wants to show them, and that is not necessarily going to be good for our anxiety. Especially right now.
So, if you find yourself feeling more anxious, angry, irritated, etc. every time you hop on Twitter or Instagram, maybe instead of just being that way, spend some time thinking about who you follow, and what they are bringing in to your life?
For any of my social media using readers, can you share some of your favorite positive accounts that you interact with to HELP your mental health?
A report was published last week in Rotheram, Yorkshire regarding the abuse of 1400 children by organised gangs http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28939089 Â and the highlighting of the race of the offenders and victims was given a proper focus alongside the problems with the child protection systems in that town. During the first few days the media focus was…
