Violence, bullying, suicide: It’s time to fight digital addiction in kids like drunk driving
NY Post
American kids are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis that is driven, in large part, by how much of their day is spent online.
The numbers are horrifying: rates of anxiety and depression among young people have risen by 50% in recent years, and teen suicide is up 29% over the past decade.
Today, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for children ages 10-14 years old, killing more than all cancers combined.
The current national debate over a potential TikTok ban has drawn attention to the way that social media, and smartphones dominate our children’s lives.
Not only do a whopping 95% of teens use social media, but Pew Research Center found that a third of them report using it “almost constantly.”
These platforms expose them to excessive violence, extremism, bullying and impossible beauty standards that lay the groundwork for depression, anxiety, eating disorders and, yes, even suicidal ideation.
