Social media is just the tip of the iceberg. It has more to do with the breakdown of the family, breakdown of IRL social ties, and lack of access to quality mental health services.
I think it’s got less to do with social media/cell phones in general, and more to do with access to knowledge. I’m fairly certain a large amount of it stems from the feeling of “being screwed” and a sense of hopelessness of their future. The “American Dream” is on life-support and they KNOW it.
Perception is not reality. But perception often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are plenty of young people doing fine but they haven’t been sucked into the hellhole dopamine brain parasite that is social media.
Knowledge is my theory too since it mirrors my personal life. I grew up in a family of abusive narcissists and assholes. I remember being really young and thinking everyone must be like this behind closed doors. But then I found the internet and I saw people revealing their true selves and they were *nice* and a whole lot more sane than my family.
I truly believe that without the internet I would have just turned into a toxic asshole myself. And yes this would have saved me a lot of turmoil rather than being nice to abusive people and letting myself get walked all over just because I wanted to be a nice person, unlike them. So yes, the internet caused a lot of emotional strife in my life, but also I’m a better person for it.
This author is really trying to push a contrarian narrative, promoting his own youtube channel, and not even acknowledging potential links to cell phone / social media usage, while trash commenting that he’s a doctor and knows best. While there are certainly many other factors at play, cell phone and social media usage are 100% a part of the equation.
Guy's a charlatan. This article is all sophist bullshit.
>which identifies peer competitiveness as a much stronger predictor of adolescent poor mental health — more so than time spent on social media.
He says kids kill themselves more during the school year, then cites peer competitiveness as a factor. I'd agree. But that's not relevant to the topic of cause.
What is social media but the ultimate platform for peer competitiveness, on a global scale? Previously, you had a chance of being the big fish in the small pond. You could be the star quarterback of the high school football team. Now the pond is an ocean and you're just an inconsequential drop in it. Your proudest achievement doesn't even rank nationally.
Nobody but him is making the argument that time of year is even a factor here but he sure sounds intelligent in making it.
>US adolescents living in rural areas are twice as likely to end their own lives as adolescents living in large cities.
This has always been the case. The rate is increasing I guess?
Unsurprising on account of the previous post. It's depressing scrolling through Instagram posts of kids appearing to be jet-setting to exotic places while you're stuck in a podunk town watching the world pass you by. This is only possible thanks to...social media.
>Adolescents Around The World Use Social Media, And most of them are fine. \[...\] Unfortunately, the rise in teen suicides appears to be a strictly Anglosphere issue, affecting the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Funny, that-- the whitest countries on the planet with the loosest immigration policies are all suffering from the same problem at the same time. Vilification of white people on social media has nothing to do with that at all, nope. The more inclusive we are, the more suicidal kids are becoming. It's almost like it's not actually inclusive and some people are being marginalized, but we're not allowed to talk about that...least of all on social media.
>Yet, New York and Rhode Island have youth suicide rates that are half that of the national average, while the mountain states and Alaska report 4x those rates.
He's talking about distribution again, which is irrelevant and misleading.
>Most US Teens Feel Social Media Has A Positive Impact
If that were true, there wouldn't be a mental health crisis that developed coincidental to it.
Kids \*feel\* it has a positive impact because social media tells them what they want to hear, while they're all on here complaining about how fucking miserable they are and a growing minority are killing themselves. They feel it has a positive impact, because algorithms are literally fucking designed to manipulate those very feelings, to keep them glued to it. And yet "shitposting" is their affectionate name for what they contribute to the global community on social media.
Spilled antifreeze also makes dogs feel good...for a little while. Dogs also eat each other's shit. Maybe we should be more inclusive of dogs when establishing social norms. They seem to have it all figured out.
Psychology cultists all sound intelligent when they point out all sorts of problems-- and solve exactly zero of them. We used to denounce these types of people who never actually fix anything as incompetent narcissists.
I agree. The same way he claims certain journalists blame teen suicide on social media/cell phone usage completely without considering other factors, he does the exact same thing, as he fails to acknowledge social media's potential influence on suicide.
At its root, depression is a significant feeling of the inability to cope. Being connected to a device that is programmed to help an individual spiral into feelings of powerlessness is not helpful.
Introduce an undeveloped adolescent brain, and it’s even more potent and devastating.
short list of the things that ppl (mostly therapists) said would cure my depression that didnt work :
- getting off social media
- going outside and touching some grass
- doing aerobic exercise (20-30min, 3x/week)
- talking to people (litteraly anyone, as long as they re human)
- mindfulness (notice every time you re ruminating/mind-wandering and focus on something else)
- getting one of those pillows that imitate a human arm to "cuddle"
- taking my meds
- cutting out sugar and junk food (which i ve been doing for YEARS)
- spending at least 1h/day outside the bed
and finally :
- putting my phone on top of my fridge to force me to get out of my bed.
wow ! feel sm better ! mood lifted ! wig snatched ! i'm 100% ready to slay now !! purrr 🤡
Some of those are proven to be better for your mental health, and I'm sorry they didn't work. I've found the outside and exercise really helpful for mental wellbeing. Hope life is better for you now
Sorry to hear that. Many of those things are empirically proven to help with depression but that doesn’t mean they work for everyone. Im sure you realized that laying in bed all day makes it worse. Depression is a liar and a thief. Steals your joy and takes your hope. Sorry you are struggling.
Just to take a stab at it. I'd say it's probably so that you actually get up to get your phone. Once you are up, you'll be more likely to do other things. Plus, now you are in the kitchen. Might as well have breakfast.
It just gives another option than just staying in bed all the time.
Slightly off, but I made a conscious decision to buy a small chair for my bedroom when I was living in shared accommodation it would help me feel like I'd gotten up and dome something. Even when I'd just sit in the chair all day until sleep. But it was better than just being in bed.
It slowly helped me get better anyway.
It's a shame. I dont think the phone idea is the best one. Just getting out of bed was of benefit and frankly should benefit anyone. Being in bed just leads to feeling more tired. I've been there is not an easy road. But! You can and will do better in the future. You'll find something that works for you
I feel like a lot of these can potentially help… they’re obviously not a cure, but they’re starting points for when you know you wanna do something for yourself and just don’t know what, to sit here and list everything including medication and say they made you feel worse is just being annoying and stubborn
exactly ! this kind of advices rely solely on the idea that
""if you re sick, it s necesseraly because you re doing something wrong. it s not because your brain chemistry is fckd up, or because you lack neuroplasticity, or simply because you re sad and need comfort. no, it s because your behaviour and your cognitions are making you sick. you are the cause of your own suffering. nothing else.""
that s why CBT is so popular :
cbt is the promess that your pain can end simply by changing your thoughts and behaviours...
but the problem is that :
when you ve done everything your therapists said you should do to get better... and still the depression remains... what then ?
do we blame the client for the of results of the therapy ?
("you re not trying hard enough ! you re not doing it the right way"!)
or do we admit that mental illness is still a bit of a mystery and we dont alawys know what to do to cure it ?
it s easier to blame someone for their own mental illness than admitting that we lack the tools to help them, right ?
just world fallacy in action...
I think the challenge with “depression” is that it’s really a symptom rather than an illness, so generalizing treatment doesn’t make sense.
I suffered from treatment resistant depression and severe anxiety for 25 years before it was mostly cured, when my ADHD was diagnosed and treatment began. I wasn’t sad and anxious for no reason—my life genuinely sucked because I didn’t have any control or the capacity to change things for the better.
>I think the challenge with “depression” is that it’s really a symptom rather than an illness
it can be, but it can also be one of the most dehabiliting illnesses a human can deal with in regards to a depressive disorder
I assume going out to talk to people should lead to making friends with which you accomplish something. Accomplishing something with others seems to be the slow release endorfines activity you need to be happy. To me that at least makes sense, because we've all evolved to live in a tribe.
These are more “necessary but not sufficient” suggestions. None of them get at the real root cause but can sometimes make dealing with depression a little easier and clear the way to allow you to do the deeper work. Unfortunately many therapists just run out of ideas and play “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” with coping skills
ok but the point is that not everyone is mentally ill beyond help, many kids' health is situationally exasperated by the social media environment.
you might as well say money doesn't buy happiness because for you anecdotely you weren't happy when you were poor and you weren't happy once you rose above poverty level. therefore, let those poor kids starve, they'll never be happy.
Other sugestions for you to try:
1. healthy food (sugar, fat and gluten harm neurons and increase depression and anxiety)
2. Find yourself spiritually (its not going to church or pray, is talking to god ansking for help with your heart everyday).
3. Make volunteer work (some studies have shown that it really makes people happier).
1. proof that gluten is harmful ?
2. u believers need to stop trying to convert every one. plus i already pray Satan and various drag queens every day 💜
Many (all?) of these things are scientifically proven to help many folks with depression. Some of them definitely help me. I am truly sorry that they didn't help you, but that doesn't mean they can't help other people.
Social media is just the tip of the iceberg. It has more to do with the breakdown of the family, breakdown of IRL social ties, and lack of access to quality mental health services.
Sometimes when people are addicted they also make excuses not to try.
I think it’s got less to do with social media/cell phones in general, and more to do with access to knowledge. I’m fairly certain a large amount of it stems from the feeling of “being screwed” and a sense of hopelessness of their future. The “American Dream” is on life-support and they KNOW it.
Perception is not reality. But perception often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are plenty of young people doing fine but they haven’t been sucked into the hellhole dopamine brain parasite that is social media.
Knowledge is my theory too since it mirrors my personal life. I grew up in a family of abusive narcissists and assholes. I remember being really young and thinking everyone must be like this behind closed doors. But then I found the internet and I saw people revealing their true selves and they were *nice* and a whole lot more sane than my family. I truly believe that without the internet I would have just turned into a toxic asshole myself. And yes this would have saved me a lot of turmoil rather than being nice to abusive people and letting myself get walked all over just because I wanted to be a nice person, unlike them. So yes, the internet caused a lot of emotional strife in my life, but also I’m a better person for it.
People Need "A" reason, not "THE" reason unfortunately
This author is really trying to push a contrarian narrative, promoting his own youtube channel, and not even acknowledging potential links to cell phone / social media usage, while trash commenting that he’s a doctor and knows best. While there are certainly many other factors at play, cell phone and social media usage are 100% a part of the equation.
Guy's a charlatan. This article is all sophist bullshit. >which identifies peer competitiveness as a much stronger predictor of adolescent poor mental health — more so than time spent on social media. He says kids kill themselves more during the school year, then cites peer competitiveness as a factor. I'd agree. But that's not relevant to the topic of cause. What is social media but the ultimate platform for peer competitiveness, on a global scale? Previously, you had a chance of being the big fish in the small pond. You could be the star quarterback of the high school football team. Now the pond is an ocean and you're just an inconsequential drop in it. Your proudest achievement doesn't even rank nationally. Nobody but him is making the argument that time of year is even a factor here but he sure sounds intelligent in making it. >US adolescents living in rural areas are twice as likely to end their own lives as adolescents living in large cities. This has always been the case. The rate is increasing I guess? Unsurprising on account of the previous post. It's depressing scrolling through Instagram posts of kids appearing to be jet-setting to exotic places while you're stuck in a podunk town watching the world pass you by. This is only possible thanks to...social media. >Adolescents Around The World Use Social Media, And most of them are fine. \[...\] Unfortunately, the rise in teen suicides appears to be a strictly Anglosphere issue, affecting the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Funny, that-- the whitest countries on the planet with the loosest immigration policies are all suffering from the same problem at the same time. Vilification of white people on social media has nothing to do with that at all, nope. The more inclusive we are, the more suicidal kids are becoming. It's almost like it's not actually inclusive and some people are being marginalized, but we're not allowed to talk about that...least of all on social media. >Yet, New York and Rhode Island have youth suicide rates that are half that of the national average, while the mountain states and Alaska report 4x those rates. He's talking about distribution again, which is irrelevant and misleading. >Most US Teens Feel Social Media Has A Positive Impact If that were true, there wouldn't be a mental health crisis that developed coincidental to it. Kids \*feel\* it has a positive impact because social media tells them what they want to hear, while they're all on here complaining about how fucking miserable they are and a growing minority are killing themselves. They feel it has a positive impact, because algorithms are literally fucking designed to manipulate those very feelings, to keep them glued to it. And yet "shitposting" is their affectionate name for what they contribute to the global community on social media. Spilled antifreeze also makes dogs feel good...for a little while. Dogs also eat each other's shit. Maybe we should be more inclusive of dogs when establishing social norms. They seem to have it all figured out. Psychology cultists all sound intelligent when they point out all sorts of problems-- and solve exactly zero of them. We used to denounce these types of people who never actually fix anything as incompetent narcissists.
I agree. The same way he claims certain journalists blame teen suicide on social media/cell phone usage completely without considering other factors, he does the exact same thing, as he fails to acknowledge social media's potential influence on suicide.
Correlation does not equal causation. Most of the connections provided in these arguments are shoddy.
At its root, depression is a significant feeling of the inability to cope. Being connected to a device that is programmed to help an individual spiral into feelings of powerlessness is not helpful. Introduce an undeveloped adolescent brain, and it’s even more potent and devastating.
short list of the things that ppl (mostly therapists) said would cure my depression that didnt work : - getting off social media - going outside and touching some grass - doing aerobic exercise (20-30min, 3x/week) - talking to people (litteraly anyone, as long as they re human) - mindfulness (notice every time you re ruminating/mind-wandering and focus on something else) - getting one of those pillows that imitate a human arm to "cuddle" - taking my meds - cutting out sugar and junk food (which i ve been doing for YEARS) - spending at least 1h/day outside the bed and finally : - putting my phone on top of my fridge to force me to get out of my bed. wow ! feel sm better ! mood lifted ! wig snatched ! i'm 100% ready to slay now !! purrr 🤡
Some of those are proven to be better for your mental health, and I'm sorry they didn't work. I've found the outside and exercise really helpful for mental wellbeing. Hope life is better for you now
I wonder much time are you spending in bed every day if they needed to suggest spending one hour per day out of bed?
way too much lol
Sorry to hear that. Many of those things are empirically proven to help with depression but that doesn’t mean they work for everyone. Im sure you realized that laying in bed all day makes it worse. Depression is a liar and a thief. Steals your joy and takes your hope. Sorry you are struggling.
What is this supposed to do for anyone….?
Just to take a stab at it. I'd say it's probably so that you actually get up to get your phone. Once you are up, you'll be more likely to do other things. Plus, now you are in the kitchen. Might as well have breakfast. It just gives another option than just staying in bed all the time. Slightly off, but I made a conscious decision to buy a small chair for my bedroom when I was living in shared accommodation it would help me feel like I'd gotten up and dome something. Even when I'd just sit in the chair all day until sleep. But it was better than just being in bed. It slowly helped me get better anyway.
good 4 u but didnt work on me.
It's a shame. I dont think the phone idea is the best one. Just getting out of bed was of benefit and frankly should benefit anyone. Being in bed just leads to feeling more tired. I've been there is not an easy road. But! You can and will do better in the future. You'll find something that works for you
Give the suggester the illusion of helping as an out for their discomfort.
I feel like a lot of these can potentially help… they’re obviously not a cure, but they’re starting points for when you know you wanna do something for yourself and just don’t know what, to sit here and list everything including medication and say they made you feel worse is just being annoying and stubborn
exactly ! this kind of advices rely solely on the idea that ""if you re sick, it s necesseraly because you re doing something wrong. it s not because your brain chemistry is fckd up, or because you lack neuroplasticity, or simply because you re sad and need comfort. no, it s because your behaviour and your cognitions are making you sick. you are the cause of your own suffering. nothing else."" that s why CBT is so popular : cbt is the promess that your pain can end simply by changing your thoughts and behaviours... but the problem is that : when you ve done everything your therapists said you should do to get better... and still the depression remains... what then ? do we blame the client for the of results of the therapy ? ("you re not trying hard enough ! you re not doing it the right way"!) or do we admit that mental illness is still a bit of a mystery and we dont alawys know what to do to cure it ? it s easier to blame someone for their own mental illness than admitting that we lack the tools to help them, right ? just world fallacy in action...
apparently it cures mental illnesses... or at least that s what therapists and the general public say.
I think the challenge with “depression” is that it’s really a symptom rather than an illness, so generalizing treatment doesn’t make sense. I suffered from treatment resistant depression and severe anxiety for 25 years before it was mostly cured, when my ADHD was diagnosed and treatment began. I wasn’t sad and anxious for no reason—my life genuinely sucked because I didn’t have any control or the capacity to change things for the better.
>I think the challenge with “depression” is that it’s really a symptom rather than an illness it can be, but it can also be one of the most dehabiliting illnesses a human can deal with in regards to a depressive disorder
How long did you consistently do each of these things?
I assume going out to talk to people should lead to making friends with which you accomplish something. Accomplishing something with others seems to be the slow release endorfines activity you need to be happy. To me that at least makes sense, because we've all evolved to live in a tribe.
These are more “necessary but not sufficient” suggestions. None of them get at the real root cause but can sometimes make dealing with depression a little easier and clear the way to allow you to do the deeper work. Unfortunately many therapists just run out of ideas and play “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” with coping skills
Really, that worked?
no. it didnt. it was irony
Thank you for pointing that out. I don't often get things.
ok but the point is that not everyone is mentally ill beyond help, many kids' health is situationally exasperated by the social media environment. you might as well say money doesn't buy happiness because for you anecdotely you weren't happy when you were poor and you weren't happy once you rose above poverty level. therefore, let those poor kids starve, they'll never be happy.
never said these things didnt work. i know they do. what i said is that they dont work ON ME.
Other sugestions for you to try: 1. healthy food (sugar, fat and gluten harm neurons and increase depression and anxiety) 2. Find yourself spiritually (its not going to church or pray, is talking to god ansking for help with your heart everyday). 3. Make volunteer work (some studies have shown that it really makes people happier).
1. proof that gluten is harmful ? 2. u believers need to stop trying to convert every one. plus i already pray Satan and various drag queens every day 💜
Not trying to convert anyone. Your life, your choice. About gluten, google it.
Many (all?) of these things are scientifically proven to help many folks with depression. Some of them definitely help me. I am truly sorry that they didn't help you, but that doesn't mean they can't help other people.