The burner is hot but we keep touching it anyway - "Screen addiction" is driving negativity - especially social media:
Bottom Line: We know how rapidly technology has changed our lives. Think back even ten years ago. What did your cell look like? Was it even a smart phone (for most it wasn't)? And yeah, social media existed but it wasn't the epicenter of social existence for our kids - let alone us. Now think back to what kids, you, did with your time ten years ago that's commonly occupied by mobile devices and social media. Whatever it was it probably left your kids and you feeling better than your current habits do. That's the ongoing irony we've been experiencing in recent years.
Research in recent years has shown that the more time we spend on social media, the more likely we are to feel worse after having done so. Yet, consistently, people continue to spend ever more time with it...enter the latest research from the firm Twenge. With the disturbing recent trend of increased suicides among teenagers Twenge, set out to find what role our digital habits could be playing in the perpetuation of negativity. What they found was pretty alarming.
Among teens studied (most commonly 8th graders):
Those who spend six or more hours per week on social media are 47% more likely to be unhappy compared to those who don't
Those who spend 3+ hours per day using social media are 35% more at risk of suicide
Heavy users are also 27% more likely to be clinically depressed
Yikes. Right? And if it has that impact on your kids what about you? A boss of mine about 15 years ago said something that has always stayed with me. He said the easiest way to get better is to stop doing the bad stuff. If your kids are showing signs that concern you, if you find that you're being negatively impacted...maybe you should consider simply not doing the bad stuff (subjecting yourself to all of the negativity on social media).