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Living from the Inside Out...Technical Difficulties
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| Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 | | CWK Producer |
“There's not one minute where you're not, where you're not trying to measure up to something else, and how can you not be depressed if you're so miserable with yourself and anxious be someone else?”
– Ellen, student
Test scores. Competitive team sports. And even technology, where photos on facebook and posts on twitter report on who's doing what with whom... and who's been left out. Is technology actually fueling today's teen anxiety? Is this real life or just really stressful for today's teens?
"It's real but it's not real life. And that's what people don't understand. The pictures are real, the messages are real, but it's not real life," says Ellen.
"It's just this little page that can change an entire perception of your relationship with other people," says Alex H.
"If you go on Facebook and see a picture of four of your closest friends in this place that you have no idea where they were, what they were doing, you naturally think, "Where was I? Did they invite me? Like, what's going on?" Alex S.
"There's not one minute where you're not, where you're not trying to measure up to something else, and how can you not be depressed if you're so miserable with yourself and anxious be someone else?" adds Ellen.
While today's technology provides incredible information access and connections, experts believe it may also be a source of stress and anxiety for teens. In fact, teen depression and anxiety are at an all-time high, according to a study from San Diego State University.
"About 2 or 3 times as many college students now score very, very high on depression compared to students say in the 1950s," says Jean Twenge, Ph.D., of San Diego State University and one of the authors of the study.
Researchers say today's social networks, reality TV and other media may fuel kids' beliefs that being rich and famous makes you happy.
"People are presenting the best images of themselves [online]. When they're kids it's going to be partying, it's going to be stuff that's cool – and you're going to think, 'I'm not doing that... everybody else is doing that but me.' And that's going to make you feel left out, it's going to make you feel socially ostracized, and that leads to depression and dejection," says W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D. and chairman of the Psychology Department at the University of Georgia.
Parents and teachers can help by talking to kids about media literacy and ethical behavior – on and off line.
What We Need To Know
Social networks are online communities where people meet, socialize, exchange digital files like photos and videos. Social networking sites, like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, allow people of all ages to gather online around shared interests or causes. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, teens continue to be avid users of social networking websites. As of September 2009, 73% of online American teens ages 12 to 17 used an online social network website, a statistic that has continued to climb upwards from 55% in November 2006 and 65% in February 2008. Beyond the teen and young adult audience, social networking sites are becoming more and more mainstream and according to Nielsen/NetRatings, reaching 45 percent of active Web users.
Some teens post inappropriate content, such as pictures from a drinking party, postings about taking drugs, real or invented sexual activity, or gossip about school peers.
Many of the sites have age requirements, but teens often get around those limits. By doing that, many teens enter a world intended for adults who are 18 or older. When your teen is involved in these sites, it is often a portal into an adult world. They can be exposed to pornography, forms of sexual activity that you find abhorrent, discussions about drug use and alcohol parties, and many other themes that they may not be ready for. These sites wide open instructional sites for all the good and bad characteristics and activities of people around the world.
For shy teens or those who don't have many friends, social networking sites can provide an outlet to meet other kids their own age who have similar interests.
Remind your teens that the Internet and social networks are public spaces and anyone, including college admissions offices, potential employers, and even predators, can see what they're posting online. Talk to your teen about not posting personally identifiable information or regrettable pictures/videos and information.
Take time to talk with teens about the reality of what is being posted on social networking sites. Is everyone really have "the best" time? How do social networks help people feel included – or excluded? What do the photos and wall posts say about the person? Encourage your teen to unplug every now and then and enjoy some unconnected, down time.
