Embedded Files
https://daily.jstor.org/yes-smartphones-are-destroying-a-generation-but-not-of-kids/
Parental Involvement
Parental Involvement
Researchers have determined that adolescents are the most vulnerable individuals for developing depressive symptoms. Parents must be involved in their child's lives to maintain strong and healthy relationships. Evidence has found that parents who are avid social media users can negatively affect own their relationship with their adolescents. This is unfortunate as, it is crucial to have trust between the teenager and parent, as they need to feel comfortable if they are having issues such as mental health struggles (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020).
Identifying Warning Signs
It is important to recognize warning signs as early as possible. Mental health has become a major concern for society and there still continues to be a negative stigma surrounding the topic. Therefore, several cases of depression remain undiagnosed. Early identification and treatment can lead to positive outcomes and prevent harmful damage that social media has created. When studying the profiles of adolescents, findings revealed that those who are self-critical about their own bodies, post images using dark themes and filters to alter their physical appearance, are found to have the most depressive symptoms (Yazdavar & Mahdavinjad, 2020). It is valuable to understand and identify patterns and visual cues in social media usage to prevent any potential harm in the future.
https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/27/mark-dredze-social-media-misinformation/
Covid-19, Online Learning, and Social Media
Online schooling has become a common form of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there can be positive aspects from an online environment, research discusses that frequent mind wandering and use of personal social media has impacted academic performance. The easy access to mobile devices while completing online work has become a large distraction and has contributed to the majority of off-task thinking. The increase in usage has also decreased attention spans, which affects working memory. These components have led to poorer academic skills and overall increased mental health issues (Hollis et al., 2016).
How are Clinicians Helping?
Clinicians are beginning to work alongside families to limit harm and take the approach of reducing social media, while ensuring the parents are actively involved by setting boundaries and creating solutions that are best suited to their family dynamic (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). A great resource is the American Academy of Pediatrics, which offers helpful preventing tools for families and adolescents.
It is proven that the reduction of social media usage each day has a positive impact on one's mental health. Limiting screen time to 30 minutes per day per platform demonstrated a significant decrease in loneliness and overall depressive and anxious symptoms (Hunt et al., 2018).
https://www.aap.org/
Mental Health Resources
Mental Health Resources
Listed below are some links to resources that will help with emotional and physical well-being. Please take the opportunity to explore each web page to see all of the support systems that are available. These counsellors are dedicated to listening and provide strategies to help resolve problems. Start today!
https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/31/how-to-use-social-media-without-it-wrecking-your-mental-health-14330538/
Researches are taking different approaches in studying the link between social media and mental health. Some studies will focus on individual characteristics of adolescents, as it could be and essential component in understanding potential root causes of their mental health problems. Other studies research the contributing factors of socioeconomic status and geographical location. All agree that social media is an aspect that is more easily controllable and is a good place to start in helping adolescents have a healthy mental state (Schonning et al., 2020).
While research continues and discoveries are being made, it is important to spend quality time with your teenager and have open communication to check up on their mental health and well-being.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse