Candy Rots Your Teeth, Social Media Rots Your Brain
Press Release: March 15, 2019 11:59pm
Gainesville, FL – March 15, 2019. In the March 14, 2019 article on NBCnews.com by Shamard Charles, M.D., a physician-journalist for NBC News and Today, the relationship between digital media and mental health disorders in those born in 1995 or after was laid plain. The research conducted by Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University not only revealed the increase in the appearance of major depressive symptoms, but a sharp 47% increase in suicidal thoughts and outcomes from 2008 – 2017. These numbers speak to a clear connection between mental health decline in teens and social media behavior.
Twenge and her team of researchers note that this uptick in depression does not seem to effect adults over the age of 26, but those 25 and younger are burdened with poor mental health and sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation affects mood and is associated with anxiety and depression, research shows. “Teenagers definitely use social media in a way that affects their sleep,” said Fobian. “They are exposed to light right before bed and that light exposure alone delays their sleep by 30 minutes. It also affects their social interactions with others.”
What cannot be determined from this article is whether social media leads to depression or whether teens turn to social media to help themselves feel better in the wake of depression. The consensus among researchers is that since older adults tend to have a more developed, robust social life, the depressive effects on that group is minimal compared to teens, who have spent their entire lives plugged in. The idea, now, is to urge these teens to unplug from social media and connect with their peers and others in real social settings. These face-to-face interactions should result in curbing the mental health decline in today’s youth.
NBCnews.com is an online platform for NBC News, a division of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) that offers breaking news and top stories in world news, business, politics, health and pop culture.
Article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/social-media-linked-rise-mental-health-disorders-teens-survey-finds-n982526
Photo Credit:
https://freebasstranscriptions.com/your-brain-is-rotten/