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MaryAnn McKibben Dana's avatar

Here's another "social media is the culprit" from Michelle Goldberg in the NYT just this morning. (gifted article, no paywall)

Look, I got off most social media once the reports came out that the companies knew the detrimental effects they were having and buried it. Nobody is claiming that social media is *healthy*. But my experience is that social media is less the cause than the default activity when there is no energy for anything else. And when a deeply depressed kid can't get out of bed, they can still text friends and connect with the outside world through their phone, and that is no small thing.

(I also have some skepticism when Jean Twenge is the primary source in one's argument... she's been beating the "young people are narcissistic" drum so long, the original young people she was targeting with that research are now pushing 40.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/24/opinion/social-media-and-teen-depression.html?unlocked_article_code=3xvP1TTy5jd3q0iC-riPmGpoTZ7t-KrZAC6u0CHDHy6tzyw5pQk6N0n9rCPLAj9QJqMmEWuNyeVwgKrvD3EG_EBcRwIKwbcs2uj09mduoLJlcCSWyOBq9f-_xRdLTLbqp-yZ37DqNlQU1wz9YXOuE5njsWqwmpF4Y177SEMoTL41nq2dC0FmlT14In8mVwFG-JYFGLfnnL3ufQhFr7MomMRw0uRaLd23hNhv70hSDdZUmSS_jrsAr2yfqvzqVU9WFYG0arDzrd4HvvAXxx2DOrc1v2wrDN2VhKfx2k6lAP4rl9A8wNb1hB80zNH6pUn3TDqHjjfiwWY52aCwngV_BA-DoLkNivZ9av4&smid=url-share

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MaryAnn McKibben Dana's avatar

Someone emailed this to me and agreed that I could share it--I think this is super important:

"I absolutely agree that it is a combination of a lot of different factors. The one other piece I think about a lot (as a parent and teacher) is how the mental state of adults impacts the young people in their care. Specifically, most parents and all teachers I know are currently more anxious or burned-out or depressed or tired than they were pre-pandemic, and for everyone I know this seems to mean they have less patience and creativity and energy and joy to bring to their interactions with their children and students. I don’t think this is the only factor, but it seems like it can’t help to have adults around who are less capable of supporting their young people…."

And then I (MAMD) responded: "I can’t remember where I read it, but someone wrote recently about young people who see their parents, many of whom have achieved some security and financial success, only to be stressed out and overwhelmed all the time, and they realize they’re being sold a bill of goods and why should they care about this American Dream that’s been sold to all of us? Especially because their standard of living will probably be less than that of their parents’? Of course kids in poverty have sensed it’s a sham for a long time. So basically, those of us with privilege are only now catching up. Whew."

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