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Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

economist.com

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Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#131

Post by saagarjha »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #104
SolaceQuantum wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize back in the older days people did the exact same thing with books and newspapers? At least with phones we can talk with people we’re meeting up with.

It's slightly different, because at least things like books and newspapers carry a tiny bit of intellectualism. You at least need to be able to read and comprehend language. IG, on the other hand, is literally just pictures: you don't even need to be able to comprehend any language to use it.

How about movies and television, then? You don't need to be able to read to enjoy those, and they've been significantly vilified as well.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#132

Post by SolaceQuantum »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #104
SolaceQuantum wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize back in the older days people did the exact same thing with books and newspapers? At least with phones we can talk with people we’re meeting up with.

It's slightly different, because at least things like books and newspapers carry a tiny bit of intellectualism. You at least need to be able to read and comprehend language. IG, on the other hand, is literally just pictures: you don't even need to be able to comprehend any language to use it.

And I disagree that everyone you see with a phone is guaranteed to be doing things on IG. For example I am on HN, a friend of mine reads fanfiction, others message their friends about their eta, catch up on Facebook, etc.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#133

Post by rayiner »

Is there any real research that suggests iPhones are the cause? Couldn’t it be things that are much more mundane: we just went through an enormous recession, which caused a lot of money problems in families. We’re at an unprecedented point in the level of acrimony in politics, which is filtering down into parents’ everyday conversations. We’re on the precipice of being destroyed by global warming and pretty much all experts agree that today’s kids will have a lower standard of living than their parents. Maybe kids are anxious and depressed because they’re reading the news (on their iPhones?) and realize how fucked they are?

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#134

Post by fwn »

visarga wrote: post #11
Kenji wrote: post #3

Governments all over the world will use the agenda "social media is bad, people need to be protected from it" to regulate how we interact with each other over digital media. This will stifle our ability to communicate and organize against laws and government actions that are not right. Meanwhile school homework gets more and more ridiculous and children get medicated with who knows what kind of psychoactive substance…

> Meanwhile school homework gets more and more ridiculous Parents need to adjust their expectations, or the kids are caught between a rock and a hard place. The school won't show mercy.

> The school won't show mercy.

I guess this is very specific to the US phenomenon explained in the article.

In my German schooling history, cheating the homework was trivial and well established. Everyone got the degree and it was a running gag that grades are inflated. If you fail you can just switch systems and do the degree somewhere else; no hard feelings. If you don't want to switch (because let's say you can't get another school to take you in the area and want to continue to live with your parents) there is a second educational path (zweiter Bildungsweg) which allows you do retry to get the degree.

From my perspective, the pressure I was feeling was entirely self-made and - in retrospective - unnecessary.

Therefore: I would love to see evidence whether or not those findings get approved in other educational systems like in the German speaking countries.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#135

Post by throwaway413 »

hiram112 wrote: post #121
eeZah7Ux wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I bounce between forgiving and forgetting You need to talk to a psychologist.

Yes, but first he needs to contact a lawyer. He has already made several fatal moves: 1. Left the marital home which the courts will consider abandonment. She just won legal custody. 2. He is paying her $4K or whatever a month without any judicial order. None of this will count towards future spousal or child support - instead it is a gift that establishes her minimum financial need . 3. He is (probably) not document…

Ok this is what I’m fucking terrified of.

I left the home because she kept asking me to stop sleeping in my own bed so her girlfriend could sleep there with her. I endured that for months. What else was I supposed to do? I’m not going to make the mistake of becoming physical, nor do I have the reactionary desire to.

I’m going to contact a lawyer today.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#136

Post by saagarjha »

Snackchez wrote: post #126
greeneggs wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, perhaps they are being inspired. Planning their own art or adventure. If you're sitting on a train, why not? (Is reading a book equally objectionable, or is going to a museum?) It's rather offensive to judge people about whom you know nothing. (As is quoting President Trump as if he is an authority on anything.)

As this is n = 1, take this with a grain of salt, but as a high school teacher I can tell you that's definitely not what teenagers are doing with their phones the majority of the time. Your view is very optimistic; for the most part, kids are sending each other snaps and checking IG for high school drama, fashion, make up, gossip, memes, and those fitness inspo pics. That last observation comes from the fact that apa…

That may be what most of your students are doing, but does not preclude the fact that there are ways to use social media (including Instagram) effectively, and that there are certainly people who are doing this.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#137

Post by maneesh »

0xBA5ED wrote: post #90
k4ch0w wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like being around the guys here on HN. I don't mind that they are smarter than I. You always learn something new and are surrounded by the latest in Tech. I'd say just surrounding yourself with the people here will in turn make you smarter/knowledgeable.

Oh, I agree. I learn a lot here. It's the best corner of the web.

Have you seen any other forums with smart people on the web?

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#138

Post by analog31 »

menacingly wrote: post #80
enord wrote: post #10

Did this trend start with social media? We are doing lots of stuff to teenagers these days that we didnt do before. They are beholden to expectations far narrower than we were. We treat them as adults in school (by making them responsible for their own performance through grading and measuring) from a very young age, yet we don't really cut the umbelical cord (grant them autonomy) until they're in their twenties. Soc…

This is a tough problem. I'm a parent, and the "do I meddle in this?" issue is probably what I think about most. With most tricky parenting issues, the answer is probably that you're on the right track if you're even thinking about it and asking the question

I'm a parent too. We get a lot of contradictory messages thrown at us. We're repeatedly told that we shouldn't over-parent, but is that just a middle class myth? Rich parents meddle extensively, not just in school, but in their kids' personal lives and careers, well into adulthood.

We can't afford to follow middle class myths any more, because the middle class is vanishing.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#139

Post by senko »

hellos123 wrote: post #122
SolaceQuantum wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize back in the older days people did the exact same thing with books and newspapers? At least with phones we can talk with people we’re meeting up with.

I really hope you are kidding. Books and newspapers have the power to enrich the mind with knowledge. Writing a book requires dedication and thought out arguments. Apps are designed to get you hooked on rewards. Twitter allows people to communicate with each others, but if its just garbage coming out, then it does more harm than good. Look at the president. Books are like fruits and vegetables. Apps are sugary drinks…

> Books are like fruits and vegetables.

You may have an idealized notion of books.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine

There are literally tons of junk books out there.

Re: Teenagers are growing more anxious and depressed

#140

Post by slv77 »

throwaway413 wrote: post #45
Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. This is a really sad story. I'm really sorry for you and hope you can get over this and find a better partner. Are you forced by the courts to pay her that $4K+/month? Because it would probably be better (not only for you, which is obvious, but for her) if you didn't.

No, we haven’t gone to court, no alimony or payments - luckily she wants to avoid it because her parents had a very messy divorce in her childhood. I pay for her because honestly I’m scared of the lifestyle my child will live. She doesn’t work. She makes no money. She would be on the streets honestly. Doesn’t speak to either of her parents. I recently emptied our joint bank account save $100. She flipped. Every time…

Do some research into living with someone with borderline personality disorder. Only someone qualified can make the diagnosis but for those that may be involved with someone with bpd learning about bpd can help them better navigate the relationship, set boundaries and better protect their own mental health.

The early childhood abuse, unstable relationships and “the void” seem like a strong fit.

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