As a pediatrician, I really struggle with the belief that access to mental health information and resources and information is all positive. I have countless typically-developing teenagers (mostly girls) coming to me wondering if they have autism or ADHD because of information they have encountered on TikTok. I also have teenagers coming to me talking about how they are “dissociating,” a term which, as far as I can tell, they are learning online. You can’t all be dissociating at once, people! I am also wondering about whether kids who are truly in the thick of social media can really discern what is good or bad. Like if you have an eating disorder, perhaps it is helpful and positive to learn techniques online, and you do not entirely have the perspective to know that social media is negatively perpetuating your disease. I’m all for hearing the kids’ perspective, but these are still kids, and I don’t think they all have the ability to objectively know what is good or bad for them, especially in the long term.
Thanks for reporting on this. I recently wrote a post 'TikTok brain cure with three ingredients' https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/tiktok-brain-cure-with-three-ingredients which focuses on the role that school, parents, and 'getting real' can play in helping youth stay grounded in reality. While girls may report 'positive experiences', the amount of time spent on digital devices is eating away from time that used to be spent in real-life relationships and activities. Thus I think it is less about fixing social media and more about weaning off devices and apps that are specifically designed to exploit addictive tendencies.
Thank you for this! I love hearing from girls themselves! I’ve been deeply concerned by elements of sexism that I see in the coverage of this topic (not here!) and by the way girls’ voices are erased from public discourse. We are so quick to rob girls of autonomy in the name of “protection.” It was a delight to hear what girls themselves think.
I wonder if you have noticed some of this sexist coverage and if you have thoughts about it? I feel concerned as a woman who knows how fast we will limit girls (if we think talk of girls’ mental health won’t soon be used to “protect” girls from information about abortion, birth control, and “woke” content, we haven’t been paying attention very well). I also feel concerned, as the mother of a boy, that we are still far too comfortable with the suicide rate of boys. In many places where this discussion is taking place, people seem to look at the overall higher rate of suicide among boys and shrug. It’s as if we accept suicide among boys as part of our overall acceptance of violence among boys and men.
Thanks again for letting us hear from the girls! I deeply appreciate your discussions on this subject!
Wow this was such an interesting read, thanks for sharing! Social media seems inevitable in the life of teen girls these days, so I'm happy to see that the girls do feel like they are reaping some positive benefits from it.
I do wonder about the extra security and privacy features - as it's all retrospective does that make it harder to encourage teens to use them? Like if they're used to free reign on YouTube, will they be willing to add parental controls? Really interesting topic, thanks for sharing.
Can I ask why the age was so limited and not broadened to up to early 20’s. Female social media users that are 16-25 can provide a different perspective and may give more in-depth answers to open ended questions.
As a pediatrician, I really struggle with the belief that access to mental health information and resources and information is all positive. I have countless typically-developing teenagers (mostly girls) coming to me wondering if they have autism or ADHD because of information they have encountered on TikTok. I also have teenagers coming to me talking about how they are “dissociating,” a term which, as far as I can tell, they are learning online. You can’t all be dissociating at once, people! I am also wondering about whether kids who are truly in the thick of social media can really discern what is good or bad. Like if you have an eating disorder, perhaps it is helpful and positive to learn techniques online, and you do not entirely have the perspective to know that social media is negatively perpetuating your disease. I’m all for hearing the kids’ perspective, but these are still kids, and I don’t think they all have the ability to objectively know what is good or bad for them, especially in the long term.
Thanks for reporting on this. I recently wrote a post 'TikTok brain cure with three ingredients' https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/tiktok-brain-cure-with-three-ingredients which focuses on the role that school, parents, and 'getting real' can play in helping youth stay grounded in reality. While girls may report 'positive experiences', the amount of time spent on digital devices is eating away from time that used to be spent in real-life relationships and activities. Thus I think it is less about fixing social media and more about weaning off devices and apps that are specifically designed to exploit addictive tendencies.
Thank you for this! I love hearing from girls themselves! I’ve been deeply concerned by elements of sexism that I see in the coverage of this topic (not here!) and by the way girls’ voices are erased from public discourse. We are so quick to rob girls of autonomy in the name of “protection.” It was a delight to hear what girls themselves think.
I wonder if you have noticed some of this sexist coverage and if you have thoughts about it? I feel concerned as a woman who knows how fast we will limit girls (if we think talk of girls’ mental health won’t soon be used to “protect” girls from information about abortion, birth control, and “woke” content, we haven’t been paying attention very well). I also feel concerned, as the mother of a boy, that we are still far too comfortable with the suicide rate of boys. In many places where this discussion is taking place, people seem to look at the overall higher rate of suicide among boys and shrug. It’s as if we accept suicide among boys as part of our overall acceptance of violence among boys and men.
Thanks again for letting us hear from the girls! I deeply appreciate your discussions on this subject!
Wow this was such an interesting read, thanks for sharing! Social media seems inevitable in the life of teen girls these days, so I'm happy to see that the girls do feel like they are reaping some positive benefits from it.
I do wonder about the extra security and privacy features - as it's all retrospective does that make it harder to encourage teens to use them? Like if they're used to free reign on YouTube, will they be willing to add parental controls? Really interesting topic, thanks for sharing.
This is great. Thanks for diving into this research for all of us. And the NYT shoutout, congrats!
Can I ask why the age was so limited and not broadened to up to early 20’s. Female social media users that are 16-25 can provide a different perspective and may give more in-depth answers to open ended questions.