Last year, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a formal Advisory, “Social Media and Youth Mental Health,” warning that social media can “have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” The report called on policy-makers to "take action," and this June, Murthy published a
I am glad to see a nuanced article that looks more deeply at the relationship between social media use and reported mental disorders. Indeed, a correlation between two variables does not prove that one causes another. It does, however, indicate that there is something going on that should trigger further study.
Any opinions expressed by representatives of the American Psychological Association should be considered suspect, as that organization has been wholly taken over by social justice radicals. The APA no longer follows its own ethics code nor does it adhere to long established norms of the scientific community regarding the conduct of research and reporting of findings.
The best way to begin to find out why young women and perhaps also young men are reporting more depression and anxiety than they did in earlier years is to ask them. It is very possible that the sources of the problem differ, depending on things like urban versus rural residence, socioeconomic class, belief in one or another cultural ideology, etc. Haidt, Twenge and their colleagues have already investigated some of these variables, but clinical interviewing of affected individuals is necessary to get more clarity about why they are depressed or anxious.
The only thing I can say to this is that social media didn't even exist until I was in my mid 20's and I can't use it, or I have to use it very rarely. It absolutely affects my mental health in a way that I had no idea existed until its use.
Young minds are like sponges that keep getting doused with water, but don't know how to wring out the sponge. Most are very impressionable and don't know how to reason or 'wring out' the superfluous and get caught up in any number of nefarious ideas. Just take for example the writing in the following site this morning, https://www.city-journal.org/article/marx-of-the-libido?utm_source=virtuous&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cjdaily , about Wilhelm Reich, father of our sexual revolution. Even adults get caught up in the drivel and can't recognize abhorrent behaviors and become over-whelmed.
Good review John. However, I think there are a LOT of other studies to be examined. Anyone who wants them can get my book free, All Thumbs: How Our Obsession with Cell Phones is Damaging our Kids. (And I am not a phone-burning purist, but it's very clear from studies that, for example, ban cell phones entirely during the school day have less bullying, more cooperation, and better grades. Email me a Larry@wildworldofhistory.com and I'll send you the book free.
I am glad to see a nuanced article that looks more deeply at the relationship between social media use and reported mental disorders. Indeed, a correlation between two variables does not prove that one causes another. It does, however, indicate that there is something going on that should trigger further study.
Any opinions expressed by representatives of the American Psychological Association should be considered suspect, as that organization has been wholly taken over by social justice radicals. The APA no longer follows its own ethics code nor does it adhere to long established norms of the scientific community regarding the conduct of research and reporting of findings.
The best way to begin to find out why young women and perhaps also young men are reporting more depression and anxiety than they did in earlier years is to ask them. It is very possible that the sources of the problem differ, depending on things like urban versus rural residence, socioeconomic class, belief in one or another cultural ideology, etc. Haidt, Twenge and their colleagues have already investigated some of these variables, but clinical interviewing of affected individuals is necessary to get more clarity about why they are depressed or anxious.
The only thing I can say to this is that social media didn't even exist until I was in my mid 20's and I can't use it, or I have to use it very rarely. It absolutely affects my mental health in a way that I had no idea existed until its use.
Young minds are like sponges that keep getting doused with water, but don't know how to wring out the sponge. Most are very impressionable and don't know how to reason or 'wring out' the superfluous and get caught up in any number of nefarious ideas. Just take for example the writing in the following site this morning, https://www.city-journal.org/article/marx-of-the-libido?utm_source=virtuous&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cjdaily , about Wilhelm Reich, father of our sexual revolution. Even adults get caught up in the drivel and can't recognize abhorrent behaviors and become over-whelmed.
Good review John. However, I think there are a LOT of other studies to be examined. Anyone who wants them can get my book free, All Thumbs: How Our Obsession with Cell Phones is Damaging our Kids. (And I am not a phone-burning purist, but it's very clear from studies that, for example, ban cell phones entirely during the school day have less bullying, more cooperation, and better grades. Email me a Larry@wildworldofhistory.com and I'll send you the book free.