How can 1/3 teen girls be suicidal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a community college and recently asked my students to reflect upon their social media use. Several said they spend on average, 9 hours per day on Tik tok and other platforms. Some of them said they have stayed up all night on their phones. I see them at 11am and they all look exhausted. I can't blame social media for every problem but it isn't helping.

If they are in school and other things, they cannot be online 9 hours a day. Be real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said social media is the sole cause of teen girl suicide.

Social media is a major cause - maybe the predominant cause - of teen girl suicide today.

You simply don’t get it.

DP

I think she or he dies get it. There is tons of research going into the relationship between the parallels increase between rates of social media use and suicide rates/ depression. Of course other factors play into the degree of impact of social media use.


Child Mind
Institute
Does Social Media Use Cause Depression?
How heavy Instagram and Facebook use may be affecting kids negatively
Writer: Caroline Miller
Clinical Experts: Jerry Bubrick, PhD , Alexandra Hamlet, PsyD

https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/

Studies show that depression among teenagers and young adults has gotten more common over the past decade. Social media use has also increased during the same time. It’s hard to say for sure that social media causes depression. Still, there are several ways that using social media could harm kids.

Some experts think that connecting with peers online is less emotionally fulfilling than connecting in person. Research shows that teenagers who spend more time on social media also feel more isolated. It could be that kids who already feel isolated use social media more. But it could be that using social media actually makes kids feel isolated.
Another theory is that social media is bad for teenagers’ self-esteem. Seeing lots of perfect pictures online might make kids (especially girls) view themselves negatively. Feeling bad about themselves can lead to depression.

Social media can also cut into the time that kids spend on activities that make them feel good, like exercise and hobbies. Additionally, it can distract from important tasks like homework. Having to juggle those responsibilities can increase kids’ stress. Studies also suggest that using social media at night interferes with restful sleep for many teenagers.

It’s important for parents to check in with kids about their social media use and help them develop healthy habits. You can encourage kids to turn off notifications, spend plenty of time on offline activities that make them feel good, and put phones away before bedtime. You can also set a good example by modeling balance in your own use of social media.

Finally, be sure to keep an eye out for signs of depression and get professional help if you’re worried. It’s especially important to check on kids who are under a lot of stress.



Social media and situational depression

ttps://psychcentral.com/depression/does-social-media-cause-depression#effects-of-social-media

Situational depression can develop following a major life change or traumatic event. It can be completely natural to feel low, have less energy, and feel less enthusiastic about things after experiencing things like:
* a traumatic event
* the death of a loved one
* job loss
* a significant breakup or divorce
But situational depression can cause unhelpful feelings to be more persistent and can last for several months before you start to feel better.
You may find that your screen time increases as you experience situational depression. Some people may find comfort in escaping into highlight reels and trending topics. Others might cling to the euphoric hits from every “likes” or seek out like-minded people online to confirm their point of view.
A 2014 review proposed that social media and depression may be part of a destructive cycle. Those who are already living with situational depression tend to go on social media more, and their extended exposure can be associated with, or at least become a risk factor for, more symptoms of depression.
Social Media and clinical depression
If scrolling social media is keeping you from sleeping, maintaining a job, or taking care of your hygiene and nutrition, your social media use may have become problematic, or you may be dealing with clinical depression or major depressive disorder (MDD).
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), MDD is diagnosed when you’re experiencing at least five of the following symptoms during a 2-week period and at least one of the symptoms is either feeling sad or depressed or a loss of interest or pleasure:
* body aches
* marked change in appetite
* not sleeping or significantly oversleeping
* brain fog
* increase in irritability
* feeling anxious
* thoughts of suicide
What type of depression does social media cause?
Social media isn’t inherently harmful to your mental health, especially if it doesn’t replace other forms of healthy social interaction. However, exposure to harmful behavior and rhetoric through social media can impact your mood and even cause depressive symptoms.
For example, toxic positivity can be harmful.
Belonging to social media communities that demand “good vibes only” can cause you to repress any unwanted distressing feelings, potentially contributing to symptoms of depression. In these circles, you may feel unwelcome if you’re experiencing challenges or you, or think others, believe, you’re “not working hard enough” to overcome them.
Toxic positivity can also influence how you view (and post about) your real life. You may feel pressured to only share joyful posts and pictures of your life, ignoring the entire spectrum of your naturally occurring joyful and difficult experiences.
Bullying online can also have a real-world impact on your mental health

You can always find a study birth that is not real world.

What a tool, or are you being deliberately obtuse? What is this "real world" you speak of? What are your credentials, work experience and education that you can blithely dismiss a growing MOUNTAIN of studies and evidence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition this survey was done in the fall of 2021. When the pandemic was not long over.

That said I have 4 teen girls who were middle school and high school in 2020 when schools shut. Still dealing with the aftermath of the (long over?) pandemic and the social repercussions. They are like puppies who never met another dog and lost all their social cues. Coming back but still slightly feral.

Huh? You have 4 teenagers in your family who couldn't manage not going to school for a year and suffered 'social repercussions' because of that? Do you live on a deserted island?

. I call troll. No one can be this stupid and out of touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition this survey was done in the fall of 2021. When the pandemic was not long over.

That said I have 4 teen girls who were middle school and high school in 2020 when schools shut. Still dealing with the aftermath of the (long over?) pandemic and the social repercussions. They are like puppies who never met another dog and lost all their social cues. Coming back but still slightly feral.

Huh? You have 4 teenagers in your family who couldn't manage not going to school for a year and suffered 'social repercussions' because of that? Do you live on a deserted island?

I’m not the PP, but I really don’t understand your issue with her post. Anyone who can’t acknowledge that there are still shockwaves and repercussions from what happened in 2020 is completely delusional or just living a very charmed life.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t have a teen daughter struggling, congratulations! You did it! You avoided all the things that cause girls to experience a mental health crisis. Your prize: you get to speculate on what causes these problems for all those other girls. Their parents, mostly the moms, for allowing Social media in their lives, for not paying enough attention, for pressuring them to get good grades. For you, this speculation is based on research studies you read - you get to be right no matter what you think because your daughter isn’t struggling. You win.

If your daughter is struggling - I see you. I am you. I’m fighting this battle alone in my house just as you are fighting it alone in yours. Sadly, there are so many of us. The people who aren’t in this fight don’t know or see it, and their ignorance and speculation just adds to the pain. I wish we could connect because this is excruciating.

Stop blaming social media. It’s not that simple.

OMG. JUST STOP. Seriously??!?

You are obviously quite into your Insta or TikTok; you gave it to your kids, and now you feel guilty about it because you know you can’t stop.

It has a name: addiction.

Social media is a major - if not THE major contributor to the teen suicide crisis right now.

I have a suicidal daughter. I have zero social media accounts myself, have never opened one.

My daughter has some social media accounts. She's not a huge user of social media. She is very aware of how toxic it is.

Her mental health issues were 100% caused by a sexual assault.

Does social media help? NO. It is definitely NOT the cause. And all the other girls we know who are struggling - it's not the cause for them either.

It doesn't sound like you have a kid who is struggling with serious mental health. That's to be celebrated. Truly. But it also allows you to stand in judgement of things you know nothing about. To make yourself feel like it can't happen to you. Fine - that's your privilege. But the judgement and ignorance in your post is astounding to those of us who are living this.

CDC says one out of seven girls is raped. Most privileged parents just want to believe this can’t happen to their daughter. It’s more rampant than anyone wants to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t have a teen daughter struggling, congratulations! You did it! You avoided all the things that cause girls to experience a mental health crisis. Your prize: you get to speculate on what causes these problems for all those other girls. Their parents, mostly the moms, for allowing Social media in their lives, for not paying enough attention, for pressuring them to get good grades. For you, this speculation is based on research studies you read - you get to be right no matter what you think because your daughter isn’t struggling. You win.

If your daughter is struggling - I see you. I am you. I’m fighting this battle alone in my house just as you are fighting it alone in yours. Sadly, there are so many of us. The people who aren’t in this fight don’t know or see it, and their ignorance and speculation just adds to the pain. I wish we could connect because this is excruciating.

Stop blaming social media. It’s not that simple.

OMG. JUST STOP. Seriously??!?

You are obviously quite into your Insta or TikTok; you gave it to your kids, and now you feel guilty about it because you know you can’t stop.

It has a name: addiction.

Social media is a major - if not THE major contributor to the teen suicide crisis right now.

I have a suicidal daughter. I have zero social media accounts myself, have never opened one.

My daughter has some social media accounts. She's not a huge user of social media. She is very aware of how toxic it is.

Her mental health issues were 100% caused by a sexual assault.

Does social media help? NO. It is definitely NOT the cause. And all the other girls we know who are struggling - it's not the cause for them either.

It doesn't sound like you have a kid who is struggling with serious mental health. That's to be celebrated. Truly. But it also allows you to stand in judgement of things you know nothing about. To make yourself feel like it can't happen to you. Fine - that's your privilege. But the judgement and ignorance in your post is astounding to those of us who are living this.

CDC says one out of seven girls is raped. Most privileged parents just want to believe this can’t happen to their daughter. It’s more rampant than anyone wants to believe.

And for those not raped, many are subjected to groping, harassment, molestation, to say nothing of the sexualization by men, and their feeling of entitlement to comment on their face, body, and appearance. All without repercussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t have a teen daughter struggling, congratulations! You did it! You avoided all the things that cause girls to experience a mental health crisis. Your prize: you get to speculate on what causes these problems for all those other girls. Their parents, mostly the moms, for allowing Social media in their lives, for not paying enough attention, for pressuring them to get good grades. For you, this speculation is based on research studies you read - you get to be right no matter what you think because your daughter isn’t struggling. You win.

If your daughter is struggling - I see you. I am you. I’m fighting this battle alone in my house just as you are fighting it alone in yours. Sadly, there are so many of us. The people who aren’t in this fight don’t know or see it, and their ignorance and speculation just adds to the pain. I wish we could connect because this is excruciating.

Stop blaming social media. It’s not that simple.

OMG. JUST STOP. Seriously??!?

You are obviously quite into your Insta or TikTok; you gave it to your kids, and now you feel guilty about it because you know you can’t stop.

It has a name: addiction.

Social media is a major - if not THE major contributor to the teen suicide crisis right now.

I have a suicidal daughter. I have zero social media accounts myself, have never opened one.

My daughter has some social media accounts. She's not a huge user of social media. She is very aware of how toxic it is.

Her mental health issues were 100% caused by a sexual assault.

Does social media help? NO. It is definitely NOT the cause. And all the other girls we know who are struggling - it's not the cause for them either.

It doesn't sound like you have a kid who is struggling with serious mental health. That's to be celebrated. Truly. But it also allows you to stand in judgement of things you know nothing about. To make yourself feel like it can't happen to you. Fine - that's your privilege. But the judgement and ignorance in your post is astounding to those of us who are living this.

CDC says one out of seven girls is raped. Most privileged parents just want to believe this can’t happen to their daughter. It’s more rampant than anyone wants to believe.

And for those not raped, many are subjected to groping, harassment, molestation, to say nothing of the sexualization by men, and their feeling of entitlement to comment on their face, body, and appearance. All without repercussion.

Agreed. Boys must start learning as toddlers that no means no. What they’re typically learning is that if you pester a woman (mom) long enough, she’ll give up and let you do what you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t have a teen daughter struggling, congratulations! You did it! You avoided all the things that cause girls to experience a mental health crisis. Your prize: you get to speculate on what causes these problems for all those other girls. Their parents, mostly the moms, for allowing Social media in their lives, for not paying enough attention, for pressuring them to get good grades. For you, this speculation is based on research studies you read - you get to be right no matter what you think because your daughter isn’t struggling. You win.

If your daughter is struggling - I see you. I am you. I’m fighting this battle alone in my house just as you are fighting it alone in yours. Sadly, there are so many of us. The people who aren’t in this fight don’t know or see it, and their ignorance and speculation just adds to the pain. I wish we could connect because this is excruciating.

Stop blaming social media. It’s not that simple.

OMG. JUST STOP. Seriously??!?

You are obviously quite into your Insta or TikTok; you gave it to your kids, and now you feel guilty about it because you know you can’t stop.

It has a name: addiction.

Social media is a major - if not THE major contributor to the teen suicide crisis right now.

I have a suicidal daughter. I have zero social media accounts myself, have never opened one.

My daughter has some social media accounts. She's not a huge user of social media. She is very aware of how toxic it is.

Her mental health issues were 100% caused by a sexual assault.

Does social media help? NO. It is definitely NOT the cause. And all the other girls we know who are struggling - it's not the cause for them either.

It doesn't sound like you have a kid who is struggling with serious mental health. That's to be celebrated. Truly. But it also allows you to stand in judgement of things you know nothing about. To make yourself feel like it can't happen to you. Fine - that's your privilege. But the judgement and ignorance in your post is astounding to those of us who are living this.

CDC says one out of seven girls is raped. Most privileged parents just want to believe this can’t happen to their daughter. It’s more rampant than anyone wants to believe.

100% agree. I'm the PP you are quoting. And my I didn't find out about my daughter's assault until 2 years after it happened. If you think you would know. . you wouldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t have a teen daughter struggling, congratulations! You did it! You avoided all the things that cause girls to experience a mental health crisis. Your prize: you get to speculate on what causes these problems for all those other girls. Their parents, mostly the moms, for allowing Social media in their lives, for not paying enough attention, for pressuring them to get good grades. For you, this speculation is based on research studies you read - you get to be right no matter what you think because your daughter isn’t struggling. You win.

If your daughter is struggling - I see you. I am you. I’m fighting this battle alone in my house just as you are fighting it alone in yours. Sadly, there are so many of us. The people who aren’t in this fight don’t know or see it, and their ignorance and speculation just adds to the pain. I wish we could connect because this is excruciating.

Stop blaming social media. It’s not that simple.

OMG. JUST STOP. Seriously??!?

You are obviously quite into your Insta or TikTok; you gave it to your kids, and now you feel guilty about it because you know you can’t stop.

It has a name: addiction.

Social media is a major - if not THE major contributor to the teen suicide crisis right now.

I have a suicidal daughter. I have zero social media accounts myself, have never opened one.

My daughter has some social media accounts. She's not a huge user of social media. She is very aware of how toxic it is.

Her mental health issues were 100% caused by a sexual assault.

Does social media help? NO. It is definitely NOT the cause. And all the other girls we know who are struggling - it's not the cause for them either.

It doesn't sound like you have a kid who is struggling with serious mental health. That's to be celebrated. Truly. But it also allows you to stand in judgement of things you know nothing about. To make yourself feel like it can't happen to you. Fine - that's your privilege. But the judgement and ignorance in your post is astounding to those of us who are living this.

CDC says one out of seven girls is raped. Most privileged parents just want to believe this can’t happen to their daughter. It’s more rampant than anyone wants to believe.

100% agree. I'm the PP you are quoting. And my I didn't find out about my daughter's assault until 2 years after it happened. If you think you would know. . you wouldn't.

My heart breaks for everyone who has been assaulted. I think maybe HS girls should have a speaker who is a sensitive female police officer. Do you think it’s a good idea for girls to hear from a legal aspect, what to do if a boy is assaulting them? How should they respond. And how to reduce vulnerability?

[Anonymous]

I think the legal expert is a great idea. I would have female police and prosecutors speaking in school every year. Also lectures and more lectures for the boys about the subtleties of consent and how their lives can be ruined by being violent with specific examples of young men who are registered sex offenders etc. I know in the UK there is literally curricula designed to refute the Andrew Tate pov.

[Anonymous]

I have always been a feminist. Attended a very progressive slac, never changed my name, despise Trump, believe in structural racism, *know* religion has done women and children more harm than good, etc. But the PP talking about the women’s march is absolutely correct and I wish people would take her perspective seriously and not dismiss her as some 1950s hausfrau.

Do not “activate” young girls before they are teens! Go to a protest and tell them about it but do not bring an eight year old onto an emotional battlefield! You are not teaching them to “use their voice”—you’re literally teaching them to parrot and internalize your voice—essentially disempowering them. You are teaching them to be angry and divisive before they are developmentally ready. And you’re turning them into accessories to your self image—exactly what men will do to them in a few years and what they must learn to resist.

We need to guide our girls on a path to their own self-actualization. To a state where they know themselves, what they believe and what they won’t compromise. This is hard enough without prematurely layering on a ton of guilt, fear and secondhand rage.

[Anonymous]

Shouting into the void. Please. . .mental health is not that simple. You can't boil it down to your pet issue (social media! taking kids to protest marches! not enough religion!). All you are doing is blaming families that are living in chaos and pain. It may help you feel like it won't happen to you - because hey, you avoided all those parenting traps! You didn't take your daughter on a protest march or let them have a phone too young. But in reality, when you hear of a teen girl self-harming, suicidal, suffering an eating disorder, etc - think trauma first. And have some compassion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t have a teen daughter struggling, congratulations! You did it! You avoided all the things that cause girls to experience a mental health crisis. Your prize: you get to speculate on what causes these problems for all those other girls. Their parents, mostly the moms, for allowing Social media in their lives, for not paying enough attention, for pressuring them to get good grades. For you, this speculation is based on research studies you read - you get to be right no matter what you think because your daughter isn’t struggling. You win.

If your daughter is struggling - I see you. I am you. I’m fighting this battle alone in my house just as you are fighting it alone in yours. Sadly, there are so many of us. The people who aren’t in this fight don’t know or see it, and their ignorance and speculation just adds to the pain. I wish we could connect because this is excruciating.

Stop blaming social media. It’s not that simple.

OMG. JUST STOP. Seriously??!?

You are obviously quite into your Insta or TikTok; you gave it to your kids, and now you feel guilty about it because you know you can’t stop.

It has a name: addiction.

Social media is a major - if not THE major contributor to the teen suicide crisis right now.

I have a suicidal daughter. I have zero social media accounts myself, have never opened one.

My daughter has some social media accounts. She's not a huge user of social media. She is very aware of how toxic it is.

Her mental health issues were 100% caused by a sexual assault.

Does social media help? NO. It is definitely NOT the cause. And all the other girls we know who are struggling - it's not the cause for them either.

It doesn't sound like you have a kid who is struggling with serious mental health. That's to be celebrated. Truly. But it also allows you to stand in judgement of things you know nothing about. To make yourself feel like it can't happen to you. Fine - that's your privilege. But the judgement and ignorance in your post is astounding to those of us who are living this.

CDC says one out of seven girls is raped. Most privileged parents just want to believe this can’t happen to their daughter. It’s more rampant than anyone wants to believe.

100% agree. I'm the PP you are quoting. And my I didn't find out about my daughter's assault until 2 years after it happened. If you think you would know. . you wouldn't.

My heart breaks for everyone who has been assaulted. I think maybe HS girls should have a speaker who is a sensitive female police officer. Do you think it’s a good idea for girls to hear from a legal aspect, what to do if a boy is assaulting them? How should they respond. And how to reduce vulnerability?

How about we teach BOYS not to pressure girls into having sex? How about we teach BOYS about what consent really is?

Why are we putting the onus on girls to solve this problem that they didn't create and in fact cannot solve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the legal expert is a great idea. I would have female police and prosecutors speaking in school every year. Also lectures and more lectures for the boys about the subtleties of consent and how their lives can be ruined by being violent with specific examples of young men who are registered sex offenders etc. I know in the UK there is literally curricula designed to refute the Andrew Tate pov.

I actually think that a man telling these boys how violent and terrible sexual assault is would be more effective than if a woman did it.

[Anonymous]

I think the fact that people are just spewing off solutions to this, like no phones or teach girls how to resist advances, points to the problem.

You guys sound like if your child came to you with some big feelings, instead of just holding space for those feelings and letting her know her feelings are a normal response to a situation, you'd tell her how to fix how she feels. You don't sound like people a teenager would want to talk to about hard things. Your biggest desire is for your kid to do what you think will make your child happy, rather than just letting your children be who they are and showing them that you love them no matter what.

Every parent (including myself) should stop and ask themselves what evidence they have that their child thinks they would be genuinely supportive and safe in an emotional health crisis.