Social Media: What Role Does It Play in the Mental Health of Our Youth?
I am a mother of three boys, and over the past few years, the news of the dramatic rise of depression, mental health issues, and suicide in preteens and teenagers has been alarming and concerning to me. Is there a crisis brewing, and if so, what may be the cause of this increase in mental health issues? As a parent or adult that interacts with children and teens, what can we do to educate ourselves on mental health issues and how can we help them navigate the world and challenges around them? Go anywhere pre-teens and teens are, and you will most likely see everyone you run across with their faces buried in their cell phone screens. Naturally then, we can assume those same kids are on one or more social media apps at any given time. They are always connected, always online. Their cell phones are an extension of them, and these applications have become their new reality, their whole world. It wasn’t always this way for children and adolescents. With these new digital habits and increasing digital addiction come consequences. Social media and digital addictions are contributing to a critical rise in anxiety and mental issues for today’s youth.
In the ’80s, ’90s, and the first part of the 2000s, cell phones were either not available to the general public, or it was uncommon to have one. It wasn’t until smartphones became popular in the mid-2000s that it became more common for children and adolescents to have their own phones. Before cell phones, children could get a break, and hopefully disconnect, from school drama, social pressures of cliques and popularity contests, and bullying, as soon as they left school grounds and went home. Now, no matter where a child is, they can always be delivered information, staying potentially vulnerable to bullying and social media dysmorphia. They are constantly being fed warped or heavily edited and unrealistic imagery telling them how they should look. Their thoughts create their reality. We can’t blame the children for developing digital addictions, though. Their brains are still maturing, and they are easily influenced, impressionable, and moldable. Social media is designed to keep us all engaged and addicted. “Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, companies like this, their business model is to keep people engaged on the screen” (Social Dilemma). They have teams of employees all solely tasked to work on figuring out how to get as much of our attention as they possibly can, and keep us engaged in their content. They are tasked to find ways of keeping us addicted.
According to the National Institutes of Health, anxiety disorders and suicidal thoughts have significantly increased in children and teens over the last decade. Nearly 33% of all adolescents between the ages of 13 to 18 experience an anxiety disorder, and hospital admission for suicidal teenagers has doubled (McCarthy). The increase in isolation and always being connected to social media can cause children and teens to only gauge their worth by, and tie their self-esteem to, how they are responded to and accepted online. This narrow worldview can skew their perceptions of their peer’s lives, as shown online, and negatively impact their self-worth. It is natural for preteens and teenagers to compare themselves and their lives to their peers. It can be very stressful for them to keep up with the added pressures they may experience through social media.
As a society, protecting our children should be one of our top priorities. We each play a significant role in creating a safe world for all children. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation.” So, what can one do, as an adult involved in a child’s life, to help them navigate through tough times or help them work through bad feelings? At school and at home we need to develop better methods for identifying children that are struggling and help them get help. We need to teach them resiliency, teach them how to deal with the stressors they are faced with, and teach them skills to overcome their difficulties. We need to teach them to live outside the online world and not to put too much attention and worth on what is shown or said through social media. We need to develop better methods and programs to teach us how to spot the warning signs of mental health and emotional issues and continue working together at removing the social stigma around seeking help for these issues. We must continue talking about mental health and emotional issues and ways to help — working together to fight for the health of our children.
Many musicians have battled, are battling, or have been impacted in some way by mental health issues, and fortunately in recent years, are beginning to use their positions and public voice to openly and honestly talk about their struggles and experiences. Below are just some of the many artists and songs that directly address depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and digital addictions.
“Intentions” by Macklemore Feat Dan Caplen (2017)
Macklemore talks in a very relatable way about the battles he faces daily. He is torn between practicing healthy habits, like reading books, eating healthy, exercising, taking care of his body, getting outside, and spending time with family; and bad habits, like sleeping around, drinking excessively, abusing drugs, watching porn, and spending too much time online or watching TV. He knows, that by feeding these bad habits, he is not nourishing and nurturing his mind and body. He directly speaks to digital addictions and how they are detrimental to his wellbeing, the cost of paying too much attention to and placing value on what people post on social media. He yearns to be free from all of these distractions and addictions.
“Carousel” by Flobots (2017)
This song describes living life in a virtual digital world as a carousel, spinning around and around, relentlessly turning, and never stopping. It’s hard to get off the carousel and live life in the real world. Phones are constantly calling out and casting a spell on their owner. It is easy to get sucked into the online world, losing oneself to superficial conversations and obsessing over follows and likes. Life online is not real, and self-worth shouldn’t be based on what is seen online. Get offline and form real connections and meaningful relationships.
“1–800–273–8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid (2018)
The beginning of the song is from the perspective of a person calling the Suicide Helpline. They don’t want to live anymore, they want to end their pain by killing themselves, and they are reaching out for help. Many people feel the same as the caller; they are depressed and don’t feel hope. Many feel alone. Like no one cares about them and that they don’t have anyone to turn to for help. As the song progresses, the message changes to the helpline operator’s perspective. The operator acknowledges how hard life can be and acknowledges the caller’s feelings, but lists reasons why they should be alive. The operator urges the caller to find the positive things in their life, focus on hope, and why life is worth living.
“Self Care” by Mac Miller (2018)
Mac Miller sings about the darkness he feels, the mental spiral he can get into dwelling on the obstacles and issues he experiences in life. He describes the two paths he can take. Either sit in the darkness and feed the sadness or acknowledge the signs of depression and despair. He alludes to lifting himself out of the darkness by practicing self-care and seeking help. He confesses fighting depression is a constant battle for him.
“Look on Up” by Relient K (2016)
Social media and other online sources are constantly bombarding users with images of what is acceptable, what they are supposed to look like, and what they are supposed to be like. It is all an illusion and it is not real. The world should not be viewed through online filters. What is beautiful or worthy should not be determined by what is shown online or told through social media posts. Instead put down these devices and live an analog, healthy life.
“u” by Kendrick Lamar (2015)
He is consumed by self-loathing, overcome by negative self-talk and depression. He acknowledges that money and surgery can’t fix what he hates about himself; they can’t stop suicidal thoughts. He feels his presence is a burden to others, but he acknowledges that he needs support. He alludes that people need to pay attention to the signs of depression in others and provide help and support before it is too late.
“Wounds” by Kid Cudi (2018)
Life is hard, and many experience times where they feel down and weak. They may endure things in life that traumatize them or knock them down. They may place too much emphasis on what they perceive others think of them or worry about measuring up. During these moments, they need to dig deep. Look internally to realize the truth that they are worthy. They can heal by fixing their thoughts, forgiving, and loving themselves.
“Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara (2015)
The song describes the struggles of poor body image many young women experience due to the beauty standards modeled through social media and other mainstream sources. She reminds the listener to love themselves no matter what and change their thought process. They are beautiful just the way they are. They don’t need to change or conform to today’s unrealistic beauty standards.
- McCarthy, Claire. “Anxiety in Teens Is Rising: What’s Going On?” HealthyChildren.Org, 2019, www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx, Accessed 20 June 2021.
- Orlowski, Jeff. “The Social Dilemma.” Netflix, uploaded by Netflix, 9 Sept. 2020, www.netflix.com/title/81254224.
