Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness • Hacker News Board

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#531

Post by VA0 » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 11:58 AM UTC

worldsayshi wrote: post #495

randomdata wrote: post #486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> She doesn't share her actual thoughts That's where social media has been most damaging. You can't share your thoughts anymore. The 'Redditization' of the world means that sharing thoughts is met with hostility. No longer can you just throw something out there, no matter how stupid. These days you have carry an entire encyclopedia with you in order to back up every last thing you say and if you utter anything that i…

This is touching on something very important but I feel there's a lot more to it. There's a lot of mystery around this for me. Like why is social media inspiring us to such hostile nit picking on behaviour and ideals?

Social media is designed to make money, whether that be from selling data or conglomerating it and advertising to you. They want the user to be purely a consumer. They are designed to make people reactive and have a short attention span, they are easier to sell to.the users mental reward system is essentially brainwashed to be an easier target to sell to.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#532

Post by criddell » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:00 PM UTC

HlessClaudesman wrote: post #459

skilled wrote: post #337

I'm no saint when it comes to addiction and being on my phone for more than I should be, but I have a sister who is in her mid 20s right now, and for the last couple of years she has slowly isolated herself from life and her family, she spends most of her time in her room on the phone and does weird things like get cosmetic surgeries, ordering cosmetics, etc. It's bizarre. She does this and all the while never leaves…

She may not be aware that there is a problem. My understanding is that game / social media addiction is an attempt to not think about real life things, including acknowledging that so much time has been wasted staring into the black mirror. My advice is to let her know that you think she has a media addiction, then at least she has some level of awareness.

Jonathan Swift supposedly said: You cannot reason someone out of something he or she was not reasoned into.

I think that's typically true but I also would try anyway.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#533

Post by rpacut » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:01 PM UTC

firewolf34 wrote: post #150

brailsafe wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your points here are worth more emphasis. As a chronically unemployed software dev who's burnt out and crashed at least 3 times, I've spent a hell of a lot of time reflecting, and try my best to communicate these ideas to people who have the opposite problem; lots of work, but no new friends since highschool, and desperately single. People tend to rely far too heavily on the easiest way to convince themselves they're…

> My theory is that to meet a new person and have it be substantial, you basically need to spend a few hours, a few times per week, in the same space doing some arbitrarily interesting thing for a common reason, without being too eager but with a signaled sense of openness. I like this concept, and I feel like I've experienced this as well, but I'm having trouble picturing an example of what you're describing, practi…

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Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#534

Post by walthamstow » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:03 PM UTC

worldsayshi wrote: post #495

randomdata wrote: post #486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> She doesn't share her actual thoughts That's where social media has been most damaging. You can't share your thoughts anymore. The 'Redditization' of the world means that sharing thoughts is met with hostility. No longer can you just throw something out there, no matter how stupid. These days you have carry an entire encyclopedia with you in order to back up every last thing you say and if you utter anything that i…

This is touching on something very important but I feel there's a lot more to it. There's a lot of mystery around this for me. Like why is social media inspiring us to such hostile nit picking on behaviour and ideals?

Lots of good answers to your question already but I'd add one - anonymity. It's a lot easier to be a dick on the internet than it is in real life.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#535

Post by NoPicklez » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:04 PM UTC

lynx23 wrote: post #241

NoPicklez wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone has the ability to exercise personal accountability for how much they gamble, smoke, eat junk food, play video games, use social media etc. However, if these consumer products become so addictive, or are designed to be so engaging and as a result people are by and large struggling to exercise personal accountability and it is causing adverse health outcomes. Then the government should step in, either should…

So, why are alcohol (and nicotine) still legal then? Maybe there is a 100 year old lesson hidden somewhere...

This is actually the classic example of where personal accountability fails, which is what cigarette companies would lobby for. Which is the root of this post

As a result governments have stepped in and now there are age restrictions on both smoking and alcohol, blood alcohol limits for driving, lockout laws, no advertisement of cigarettes in supermarkets, additional taxes on cigarettes, plain packaging on cigarettes.

Making something immediately completely illegal isn’t necessarily the correct course of action. But governments have stepped in to try and help people exercise personal accountability.

Disclaimer: the examples are from within Australia

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#536

Post by xattt » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:04 PM UTC

verisimi wrote: post #506

randomdata wrote: post #486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> She doesn't share her actual thoughts That's where social media has been most damaging. You can't share your thoughts anymore. The 'Redditization' of the world means that sharing thoughts is met with hostility. No longer can you just throw something out there, no matter how stupid. These days you have carry an entire encyclopedia with you in order to back up every last thing you say and if you utter anything that i…

People are broken. Perhaps they always were. Perhaps this latest, is the cost of prioritising work over family - it is now common to have both parents working, with child care outsourced to professionals, that may do everything right, but will not love the child. Love is underrated, intangible. I suspect there are very few whole individuals out there at all. Once the child grows, why would it look to family to help?…

> People are broken. Perhaps they always were.

There’s an unspoken burden of past Child Traumatic Stress that, consciously and subconsciously, tints individuals’ resilience and the way the now-adults view the world.

I’ve been fortunate to have a happy, normal childhood. However, based on the number of people that I’ve spoken to, I’m starting to think I am in the minority. Friends have casually talked about facing suicide, complex family dynamics, neglect, and crazy religious experiences in early life like it was nothing, when it was/is a big deal.

It’s devastating to hear, and realize that the “silent majority” are likely maladapted individuals who are not even close to unpacking their traumatic past (i.e. things like “the friendly uncle” and “the cool youth group pastor”) that got swept under the rug or repressed.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#537

Post by batch12 » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:05 PM UTC

pelagicAustral wrote: post #491

skilled wrote: post #337

I'm no saint when it comes to addiction and being on my phone for more than I should be, but I have a sister who is in her mid 20s right now, and for the last couple of years she has slowly isolated herself from life and her family, she spends most of her time in her room on the phone and does weird things like get cosmetic surgeries, ordering cosmetics, etc. It's bizarre. She does this and all the while never leaves…

My brother is essentially the male version of this, just swap the cosmetics for video game DLCs. He's early 20's, no job, no interest in work, no interest in getting out of the house, no interest on anything... talking to him is the most frustrating experience ever, nothing comes out of him, no emotion... I talked so many times, tried to get an idea of what might drive him: travelling, learning, walking around in the…

I see it as my purpose as a parent to ensure my kids are able to take care of themselves since I will not always be here. To that end, a job is a requirement and school is a requirement. I had to push them to even get their driver's license, but they got one. My stance is, if you want to spend your free time lost in social media land, fine. Do what needs to be done first and then play. Interestingly, their social media usage in their limited free time seems to have declined in favor of interacting with friends and family.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#538

Post by nullderef » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:05 PM UTC

delichon wrote: post #528

pelagicAustral wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My brother is essentially the male version of this, just swap the cosmetics for video game DLCs. He's early 20's, no job, no interest in work, no interest in getting out of the house, no interest on anything... talking to him is the most frustrating experience ever, nothing comes out of him, no emotion... I talked so many times, tried to get an idea of what might drive him: travelling, learning, walking around in the…

This described my brother too. He killed himself four years ago, after about thirty years of just that kind of depression. And I was my little brother's keeper damn it, so it's my failure. Ever since I keep reliving it and wondering what I could have done. All I come up with are fantasy scenarios in which I somehow make us both wildly successful. But even that's a stretch given his outlook. I fantasize about some kin…

Hey, I went through something similar. Even though it's inevitable to fault yourself, you need to avoid it. I also do it sometimes but it never helps; I need to actively remind myself that it's not something worth thinking about. Hope you're doing a bit better now.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#539

Post by correctstaple » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:06 PM UTC

skilled wrote: post #337

I'm no saint when it comes to addiction and being on my phone for more than I should be, but I have a sister who is in her mid 20s right now, and for the last couple of years she has slowly isolated herself from life and her family, she spends most of her time in her room on the phone and does weird things like get cosmetic surgeries, ordering cosmetics, etc. It's bizarre. She does this and all the while never leaves…

> how easy it is to get stuck in this cycle. I just wish there was an easy way out of it

What you described may be body dysmorphic disorder. Social media aggravates that, but it is not the cause: BDD is a variant of OCD. Like OCD, it can be effectively treated with a specific kind of therapy (exposure and response prevention). I know a lot of people have replied to your post, but I don’t think anyone has mentioned this possibility yet.

Re: Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness

#540

Post by yawboakye » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 12:07 PM UTC

skilled wrote: post #430

yawboakye wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i find this to be, unfortunately, the current western stance on responsibility towards anyone: irresponsibility. for some reason, leaving people to go their way, wherever it may lead them, has been interpreted to be the good and the moral duty of anyone who understands what freedom (for intelligent beings) means. with all due respect, that’s cowardice and a neglect of duty. i explained to my sibling the other day tha…

I have tried being supportive on multiple occasions. I offered to help with building her a platform online since she spends so much time there. I offered to team up with her in case she wants to create an eCommerce site. The discussion always ends with, “I don’t know”. I have tried various approaches, including being provocative, and that is why I said it is not worth it. I am not abandoning her by any means and we t…

i’m extremely ill-qualified to advise here, and i think it will be even more reckless to assume i understand or appreciate the scope of your effort.

it’s more difficult to even suggest what to do. what are your thoughts on genuinely being interested in her? not for the purposes of helping her. but being interested in her so that you spend time in conversations? start with a minute here and there reminiscing about moments between you two (and perhaps the larger family) that you both enjoyed, and gradually moving into longer conversations? i think what i’m saying here is that you might need to rebuild trust then build a new relationship on top of that. how to go about that? i really don’t know.