How Does Social Media Usage Impact Self-harm?
Teens spend so much of their time online, immersed in a world that’s not in the present. It’s easy to see how what they see, read, or talk about with others can have a huge impact on self-harming behaviors. As parents, we do the best we can to monitor their activity, set boundaries, and stay engaged with them daily. There is a rabbit hole they go down, however, and once down there, it sure is hard to escape!
There are online spaces that parents aren’t even aware of. We think if we monitor their text usage, Instagram, and set time limits, that is enough. There are communities like Discord or Reddit which our teens can hang out in, and be part of multiple groups and forums, even those specific to self-harm. Much to most parents’ dismay, even YouTube is a place you can find all content. They can ask things and get hundreds of responses from strangers on the internet. If you find these places you will often see someone write “trigger warning” or “SH trigger warning” prior to their post on a forum. When our teen started chatting in these places, she thought she was seeking support, but in reality, she was just getting sucked further in. These “support groups” aren’t supportive, and they are not moderated. A true support group is moderated by a professional, a therapist, or a medical provider.
In an article by The Indian Journal of Psychiatry, it is stated that “evidence suggests that self-harming youth is more active on online social networks than youth who do not engage in self-harm behavior. Social media has evolved to become a modern communication tool, and the global number of social media users has skyrocketed in the last decade. Simultaneously, suicide, a preventable public health problem, is projected to continue to rise. Evidence-based literature associates the use of social media by adolescents to be a positive risk factor for suicide”. As concluded by Indian J Psychiatry, “online social networking also leads to increased exposure to and engagement in self-harm behavior due to users receiving negative messages promoting self-harm, emulating self-injurious behavior of others, and adopting self-harm practices from shared videos. Greater time spent on social networking websites led to higher psychological distress, an unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and increased suicidal ideation. In conclusion, greater time spent on online social networking promotes self-harm behavior and suicidal ideation in vulnerable adolescents”.
Would we let our kids be in groups with drug dealers, if they had a drug addiction? Probably not. Yet self-harm is indeed an addiction in many cases. Surrounding themselves with others who are self-harming or talking about it, only fosters the environment for these behaviors. It is the same reason the providers at the emergency room asked me when evaluating our daughter, “does she have friends who are doing this”?
Another issue is that the teen sees photos or images of self-harm online, and this was a huge issue for our daughter. We had to tackle this one head-on, because she was saving all these photos and storing them on her devices. These are often shared or even compared, which can be quite dangerous. We also have a unique struggle with self-harm because our daughter keeps records of her injuries, by taking photos or videos. The first time we came across this was not a pleasant experience as parents, but it allowed us to bring this issue up. For her, this habit of recording came from what she saw online, as she described it as having a “favorites” folder. We had to become wise and educated about these platforms, and actually had to restrict access to those on her device. We realize that teens will find ways to view these things outside of the home, however, what we don’t want is total isolation in her bedroom on these platforms.
The issue of cyberbullying is an entire topic on its own. This is such a massive factor in teen mental health, suicide, and self-harming behaviors. This can cause such lasting damage to a teen and their self-esteem, as well as trigger self-harming behaviors. Teens are sought out to bully online, sometimes using ads, videos, or photos to pull them in. I believe cyberbullying can have lasting detrimental effects on teens. I saw it firsthand with my own teen in 8th grade, with someone she knew, that was a friend. She sent my daughter terrible texts and years later, she admitted that friend told her about self-harming. How to do it, when to do it, and that she was worthless so she should do it. I will tell you as a parent, that was all hard to swallow. Had we known then, we could have potentially prevented all of the years of anxiety, depression, and self-harm to follow.
How can we prevent cyberbullying in the first place? In an article by the Journal Preventative Medicine via Science Direct, they concluded that “the majority of protective factors concern school connectedness, personal skills, “healthy lifestyle”, and aspects of familial relationships. This suggests that in addition to working to reduce cyberbullying; it may be beneficial to teach better emotional and coping skills and promote school connectedness and involvement with family”.
I feel the culture right now almost feeds the idea of depression. You hear more than ever about kids cutting, eating disorders, and mental health struggles. I feel like in school, they are the exception if they aren’t experiencing these issues. There just seems to be a sense that teens are in a cool group if they are struggling. I know this sounds harsh, but teens seem to thrive in dysfunction. Let me say that again, I think teens thrive in dysfunction. What I mean is, they have a shared group of people who talk about having depression and anxiety, who self-harm, or who have other mental health struggles. It almost makes it difficult to be OK. To get better. To be HAPPY. Because that’s not the norm anymore, to be thriving, to be in a good place. We fight with this idea often at home, as we’ve been walking through this place with a teen.
Moms and Dads, social media isn’t going away. We have to create a balance of what our kids are taking in, and what healthy boundaries are. When it comes to self-harm specifically, we have to be very cautious about the material our teens are engaging in online, and I would encourage you to dig deep on this. Do your homework, stay engaged, and monitor what your kids are reading and searching. Leave the lines of communication open and talk about these things with your teens.
Technology has truly impacted our teens and all the mental health struggles they face today, especially in a post-covid isolation world. However, I do feel as parents and families, we too can have a huge impact on them, and we need to keep using that connection to foster a healthy relationship with the online world.
