I'm guessing not just teenagers. Every day on Twitter, I see posts like [this](https://twitter.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/17741956933237925...) by accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers that are indistinguishable from schizophrenic ideation. These consist of extremely idiosyncratic delusions that, thanks purely to social media, find a community of believers who can reassure each other that no, they're not crazy, they're not alone, they're just the fortunate ones who've escaped the Matrix, etc. whereas in the past, their beliefs would have been penalized by the sane peers around them.
Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
51–60 of 118 posts
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#52I always wonder when an "epidemic" gets reported if things really have changed or if we just recognize it better. When I grew up, we had a lot of kids (including myself) with problems like depression or not fitting in in other ways. Back then they were just labeled as "slow", "stupid" or "difficult". Nobody thought about mental illness or ways for addressing these issues.
Not fitting in is not a mental illness. And this attitude is behind the prevalence of many mental illnesses today. We've gone from a society that embraced difference to one that claims to embrace difference while mandating sameness. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc, are all toxic for this reason.
When did society previously embrace difference?
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
since when is gender dysphoria a made-up mental disorder?
The disorder itself is not made up, which is clear from my comment where I stated that it's a relatively rare mental illness (therefore acknowledging it's real), but it becomes made up if an individual who doesn't have that disorder pretends to have it in order to appease a group or belong to a group, thinking having that disorder will raise their social clout.
And yet in another comment, you agreed with "someone who identifies outside of the gender binary has a mental disorder"
what?
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#54The problem with social media is it is a paralysis engine. It drives the most seemingly credible, brain-wormy and engagement-driving discourse to the top, promoting the most violent, exclusionary and aggressively undertoned rallying cries of trending angst-fueled ideologies. As a consequence, whatever your opinion, identity, or circumstances, you will surely encounter the echo chambers of people who want you dead or…
The causality here (and the fact of the matter) is far more complex than it seems though - for example, each person's perception of what is going on is to a large degree a function of their culture and education, and those two attributes tend to get a free pass at least when it comes to oneself or the members of one's ingroups in all such discussions.
Our wonderful, purely well-intentioned politicians could do something about this dire "need for more critical thinking", and yet what do they do to fulfill that need, despite it being literally their responsibility.
https://search.usa.gov/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&affiliate=ed.go...
See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_cow_(idiom)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_disinformation (what my comment "is")
For example: these terrible people you are referring to out there....are you sure they are as they seem (where did you learn these facts about their intentions from, etc), and that they are enemy number 1?
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't mean to be glib, but you are in denial. Nuclear war is more likely now than since the early cold war, China is ready to invade Taiwan, climate change is poised to weaken or complete disrupt the Gulf Stream, America is months away from electing an insurrectionist as president, buying a house is a pipe dream for most Americans... How could you see that as a young person and not feel at least a little hopeless?
We are talking about data that spans over a decade, not a year. Look at figure 1: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2022/05/31/...
I'm being admittedly a little polemical, personally I'm freaked out by the future. But that aside, I'm curious to hear more about your argument. Are you saying worry about the future can't be causing this issue because scary stuff only started recently?
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
since when is gender dysphoria a made-up mental disorder?
The disorder itself is not made up, which is clear from my comment where I stated that it's a relatively rare mental illness (therefore acknowledging it's real), but it becomes made up if an individual who doesn't have that disorder pretends to have it in order to appease a group or belong to a group, thinking having that disorder will raise their social clout.
i can't check the original comment right now but i distinctly remember you writing about gender dysphoria being a "made-up mental illness". and as another commenter just pointed out you agreed with that opinion under a different response. besides, what does this have to do with the article's topic?
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
We are talking about data that spans over a decade, not a year. Look at figure 1: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2022/05/31/...
I'm being admittedly a little polemical, personally I'm freaked out by the future. But that aside, I'm curious to hear more about your argument. Are you saying worry about the future can't be causing this issue because scary stuff only started recently?
Some of the examples you gave are too recent to explain the rise in depression that has been going on for over a decade.
And climate change worry has been going on for much longer.
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#58I always wonder when an "epidemic" gets reported if things really have changed or if we just recognize it better. When I grew up, we had a lot of kids (including myself) with problems like depression or not fitting in in other ways. Back then they were just labeled as "slow", "stupid" or "difficult". Nobody thought about mental illness or ways for addressing these issues.
Youth suicide rates are going up, I think that's quite objectively measurable. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db471.pdf Not proof that social media is behind it of course.
There seems to be a lot of pressure on the youth today. Growing up I had a lot of unscheduled time but now kids can't play multiple sports due to games, practices, and expectations.
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#59I'm guessing not just teenagers. Every day on Twitter, I see posts like [this]( https://twitter.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/17741956933237925... ) by accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers that are indistinguishable from schizophrenic ideation. These consist of extremely idiosyncratic delusions that, thanks purely to social media, find a community of believers who can reassure each other that no, they're not…
Do you ever read the newspaper or watch TV (or US State Department announcements about "what is going on")? If so, do you have similarly negative reactions to the horrible logic and epistemology on show there (not to mention the scope of influence)?
Re: Is social media behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
#60>> the fact that teenagers AND adults with social media and phone addiction are just spending so much of their time absorbed into a screen scrolling and getting quick dopamine hits for hours and hours
If everybody does it why are teenage girls most affected?