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With Gen Alpha already leading the latest wave of memes (skibidi toilet, anyone? No one?), it can start to feel like toddlers are learning to scroll before they can walk. With social media turning out to become a massive part of growing up nowadays, Australia has become the first nation to step up with plans to ban it for minors. This has sparked a question that desperately needs to be answered: just how much is too much when it comes to kids on social media? The risks aren’t just rumours. Researchers have been raising red flags for years, suggesting that too much screen time at a young age can have lasting effects. So, let’s take a look at what science has to say about how early exposure to social media affects kids’ minds, moods, and everything in between. <h2>The sleep struggle</h2>It’s not just adult sleep that gets disrupted by blue light — it’s kids’ sleep too, only they’re even more vulnerable. Screens, especially before bedtime, can delay the release of melatonin, the hormone that tells our bodies it’s time to sleep. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children who use screens near bedtime often get less sleep and end up feeling groggy the next day. That leads to more than just fatigue; lack of sleep can also affect kids' learning, memory, and even mood stability. <h2>Scrolling through emotions</h2>The social media effect on mental health is a bit like playing with fire. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, while moderate use can boost self-esteem and help kids feel more connected, too much can tip the scales the other way. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="115056492" title="I&amp;#39;m a mom of 6 and don&amp;#39;t throw birthday parties after age 1. Kids don&amp;#39;t remember them and they are a waste of money." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Excessive social media can lead to anxiety, depression, and lower self-worth. Kids may also suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), as they constantly compare themselves to the perfect-looking snapshots of others. Imagine dealing with that pressure before you even hit high school — it’s no wonder it’s causing stress for young minds. <h2>Attention span on shuffle mode</h2>Social media doesn’t just grab kids’ attention; it keeps it on a fast-paced rollercoaster. Research from multiple regions, including India, shows that children who spend a lot of time on social media might find it harder to stay focused on tasks without instant rewards. The endless cycle of quick likes and notifications can make schoolwork and even daily routines feel sluggish by comparison. Think of it as training kids’ brains to expect rewards on a constant, rapid-fire basis — something that real life just doesn’t offer. <h2>Virtual friends vs. real connections</h2>Kids might feel like they have tons of friends online, but are those connections as meaningful as the ones they’d make in person? UCLA researchers found that kids who spend a lot of time online may struggle to develop strong social skills in real life, like reading body language and empathy. This doesn’t mean that social media is all bad; for marginalised kids or those who have niche interests, it can provide a sense of belonging and community. But the danger is when those virtual friendships start replacing real ones, making it harder for kids to connect offline. <h2>Cyberbullying and online harassment</h2>The internet has its darker sides too, and cyberbullying tops the list. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, more than half of adolescents have experienced cyberbullying in some form. Unlike traditional bullying, which might stop once the school bell rings, online bullying can follow kids home, affecting their mental health long-term. Kids who face bullying online are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and even thoughts of self-harm, making the need for boundaries even clearer. <h2>Body image battles</h2>Apps like Instagram and TikTok are fun — but they can also be a trap for body image issues, especially for girls. A study published in the Body Image Journal found that young girls who frequently use social media are more likely to experience body dissatisfaction. When kids see a constant feed of “perfect” lives and appearances, they can start to feel that they don’t measure up, even if they’re barely old enough to understand the concept of self-esteem.<h2>To post or not to post?</h2>Despite the risks, social media isn't all bad. When used responsibly, it can be a powerful tool for learning and creativity. These platforms can enhance creative expression and provide educational content that supports academic growth. For children with special interests or those who feel isolated, online communities can offer a sense of belonging and support. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="115028734" title="I was a teen dad on food stamps. Now that I&amp;#39;m a multimillionaire, teaching my kids to appreciate money is really difficult." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>As we continue to integrate technology into every aspect of our lives, understanding and mitigating its impacts on our youngest members becomes ever more crucial. F or parents and caregivers, the key lies in setting boundaries, fostering open communication, and guiding children to navigate the digital world thoughtfully. Australia’s stance might just be the catalyst needed to inspire similar protective measures worldwide, ensuring that children can enjoy the benefits of technology without falling prey to its pitfalls.

Scrolling to doom? Here's what happens to kids when they are exposed to social media early in their lives

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trixer/">Flickr/Trixer</a></div></div>Today, <keyword id="39374" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bullying">bullying</keyword> affects nearly one in three American schoolchildren in grades six through 10. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/staggering-facts-about-bullying-in-america-2013-10">The facts</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/staggering-facts-about-bullying-in-america-2013-10"> are staggering.</a>
But not your little angel, no way. She's perfect. He gets good grades. She has lots of friends.
Friends who are mean.
And what if your kid's friends are mean to him or her? Parents rightly worry. But there's another unsettling thought to consider: that your darling child is the one doing the bullying.
Bullying has been around as long as societal variations: rich and poor, strong and weak, color and the lack thereof. Because bullies feel so insecure about their own differences, they target others with characteristics even more challenged by their social circles, according to national bullying expert <a href="http://respectu.com/">Joel Haber. </a> 
And the Internet hasn't helped. <keyword id="138820" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cyberbullying">Cyberbullying</keyword> - harassment that happens on Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Ask.fm, the list goes on and on - has become an epidemic. With all the new, behind-the-scenes opportunities for mean behavior, parents can hardly keep up. 
These six signs might help you determine if your child is the bully:
<h3>1. Your child seems obsessed with social status or popularity.</h3>
Sociology professor at the University of California Davis Robert Faris recently teamed up with Anderson Cooper for a special segment on bullying. His research of 700 students at a Long Island high school found that the quest for popularity overwhelmingly fueled bullying. The higher a student climbed on the social ladder, the more they bullied others - and got bullied themselves, according to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/health/bullying-series-identifying-children/index.html">CNN.</a>
U.S. Department of Health &amp; Humans Services' (HHS) <a href="http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/warning-signs/index.html#bullying">website on bullying</a> says children who "are competitive and worry about their reputation or popularity," are cause for concern, too.
<h3>2. You child displays aggressive behavior - either emotional or physical.</h3>
A strong link between aggression and social prominence develops by early adolescence, according to <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23275064">another study</a> from the psychology department at the University of California. Behaviors like possession of extra money or new belongings contribute to that, according to HSS.
But after about eighth grade, bullying becomes much more covert - like "Mean Girls" in IRL (That's slang for "in real life." You might as well start learning the lingo, parents.) Boys and girls equally use social intimidation to maintain their social status. Rumors, often about a student's sexuality or family members, can play a huge role.
<h3>3. Your child is getting bullied.</h3>
A study conducted at the Institute of Education in London found that fewer than 1% of bullies are "true bullies" - those not also bullied by their peers, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/aug/29/bullying.schools">The Guardian reported.</a>
And Faris' study found that 56% of students were either the aggressor, the victim, or both at any given time, according to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/health/bullying-series-identifying-children/index.html">CNN.</a>
<h3>4. His or her friends are bullies.</h3>
To maintain their popularity or avoid getting bullied themselves, kids sometimes join in on the meanness, <a href="http://www.pacer.org/bullying/">the Pacer Center says.</a> So even if your child doesn't seem at risk, keep a close eye on his or her friend group.
<h3>5. Your child spends a lot of time online.</h3>
<a href="http://www.internetsafety101.org/cyberbullyingstatistics.htm#_ftn3">The Enough Is Enough organization</a> says that cyberbullies spend more time online than nice kids - 38.4 hours compared to 26.8 hours. 
Even though most bullying occurs offline, 66% of teens who have witnessed online cruelty have also seen others joining. And 21% admitted they join too, according to a 2011 <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2011/Teens-and-social-media.aspx">Pew Internet study. </a>
The consequences, for both parties, can also be potentially worse than IRL. Online harassment is documented and can legally constitute libel. Sharing unauthorized or inappropriate photos and information also has its penalties.
And kids are willing to be even more cruel and obscene because they feel their comments "don't count," director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center <a href="http://elizabethenglander.com/">Elizabeth Englander</a> told <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/when-your-child-is-the-cyberbully/?_r=0">The New York Times. </a>
<h3>6. You're divorced, or your child isn't living with his or her biological parents.</h3>
Children who come from split homes or don't live with their biological parents face a higher risk of becoming bullies, according to a <a href="http://www.livescience.com/11163-bullies-bullying.html">study at Brunel University in London.</a> They often don't receive enough one-on-one time.
<h3>Why is recognizing these signs so important?</h3>
Bullying doesn't just harm the victim, but the aggressor, too. The HHS' <a href="http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/warning-signs/index.html#bullying">bullying website</a> lists the following as potential effects:
<ul type="disc">
<li>Abuse of alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults.</li>
<li>Getting into fights, vandalizing property, and dropping out of school.</li>
<li>Engaging in early sexual activity.</li>
<li>Having criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults.</li>
<li>Being abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults.</li>
</ul>
Unsurprisingly, extra attention could help solve the problem - but not the negative kind. As much as parents like to think punishment or consequences will solve the problem, negative reinforcement forces the bully further into anger, exacerbating the bad behavior. 
Instead, parents should ask children how they feel when they get bullied and make sure they understand their actions, HHS says. Involving the bully in making amends will also proactively show him or her that making others feel good feels good for them, too. And there are always going to be bigger, badder bullies. One day, your son or daughter might have to learn his or her lesson the hard way.
On paper, asking your child about how they feel sounds good, but some parents take a different approach. One dad made his son stand in the middle of the street with a sign reading, "I am a bully! Honk if you hate bullies." The humiliation seemed to work, he told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2443814/Honk-hate-bullies-Father-makes-son-hold-sign-bullying-student.html">Daily Mail.</a> The dad can dish it out and take it, too. After receiving criticism, he stood in the street with his own sign: "I am not sorry! Honk 2 stop bullying."
Look, you know your kid. All the advice from acronymed organizations won't mean a thing if you don't care about your child's bad behavior.
And if you don't care, then you're not just the parent of a bully, you're a bully yourself.

Here's How To Tell If Your Kid Is A Bully 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>When my son started middle school, I was worried he'd face bullying, drugs, and self-harm.</li><li>I channeled my nervous energy into buying him the perfect school supplies.</li></ul>As my son wrapped up fifth grade and graduated <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-my-kid-to-argentina-for-a-friendlier-school-system-2022-1">elementary school</a>, an unfamiliar, anxious feeling descended upon me. I started to worry about my son's future and what he would soon face.That future loomed like a long, dark tunnel ahead: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-school-installs-vape-detectors-in-middle-school-bathrooms-2024-6">middle school</a>.The transition would rip us from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/backyard-hangout-spot-neighborhood-kids-simple-play-rules-2024-8">world of playdates</a>, crayons, and construction paper and thrust us into the big, bad world of adolescence.I struggled with this transition for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lonely-empty-nester-sons-went-to-college-2023-8">my son</a>, and it took me some time to accept that I have little control over what happens next.<h2 id="6ac1786e-1153-4405-aba6-591dc21f8ab7">My memories of middle school colored my fears for my son</h2>I remembered my own middle school years as both fun and fraught. I loved having new freedoms, like being dropped off at the mall with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-wife-friendship-emotional-affair-cheating-2023-12">my friends</a> unsupervised for an afternoon.But it was also a time of intensifying <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sobriety-stopped-drinking-secretly-alcohol-identity-2024-4">peer pressure</a>. I began pulling away from my parents, making choices I hoped classmates would judge as "cool."My peers could be ruthless, cutting down anyone who didn't conform to their standards. I wasn't bullied as badly as some, but I swallowed their proclamations and promises as truth. If I looked and acted just so, I'd be infinitely more valuable to the world.In middle school, I jumped on an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-stopped-posting-my-partner-on-social-media-2023-2">external validation</a> treadmill that became very hard to get off, eventually losing touch with my own wants and needs. Ignoring myself for so long had lasting consequences into adulthood, like dating abusive partners and overdrinking.I badly wanted to spare my son the suffering I endured.<h2 id="1f1fcecb-cfb4-410e-b8dc-1b461192bcbc">Today's kids face even harder challenges than I did growing up</h2>While my son seemed to have more self-confidence than I did back in the 80s, the world has changed, too. My daily news feed often sends me spiraling: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/magali-berdah-14-thrown-prison-cyberbullying-french-influencer-keyboard-warriors-2024-3">cyber-bullying</a>, vaping, fentanyl, and self-harm. Was that going to be my kid? How could I possibly keep him safe?<div type="image" title="Marika Paez Wiesen with her middle school-aged son and husband" height="2268" width="3024" msid="112323019" hostid="261" sizebytes="568628"></div>Sure, we helped him tackle the small challenges of elementary school: making it out the door on time, remembering to put his name on his schoolwork, and resolving playdate disagreements. But <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/business-leaders-who-openly-discuss-drug-and-alcohol-addiction">drugs and alcohol</a>? Porn and internet predators? How could he possibly be ready for all of that?I longed for a way to crisis-proof my kid with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/mental-health/self-worth">self-esteem</a> bubble wrap, ensuring he could somehow leave middle school with his sense of self intact.<h2 id="09554528-8c42-4067-826b-2abdfd0ff560">I channeled my anxiety by trying to make things perfect for my kid</h2>By August, anxiety over the unknowns ahead squeezed me like a scratchy, too-tight sweater. When I received the email with a recommended <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/back-to-school-supplies-order-in-bulk-2023-8">school supply list</a> for the upcoming year, I pounced.While I knew I couldn't forestall every landmine ahead, I could make sure he showed up to school with a fierce array of school supplies. I printed out the list and flew into action.I researched pens (erasable! left-hand friendly! continuous flow ink!), locker shelves, and binders. The pile of boxes towering on my doorstep had me second-guessing my strategy — as did my husband's eyebrows, which raised higher and higher with each delivery truck. But my anxiety and uncertainty kept me clicking "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-dash-cart-grocery-shopping-probably-not-again-2024-6">Add to Cart</a>."The night before school started, I sat in the living room unboxing, unpackaging, organizing, and arranging. With each swish, zip, and click of the binder rings, I sent out a silent prayer to the universe: May you be happy, safe, and free from adolescent angst and insecurity.<h2 id="366af7b9-a2c6-45b2-8510-3ed830408d4c">I need to rely on my kid to show me his needs</h2>Maybe the prayers worked, or maybe he never needed them at all because two months into middle school, my son was thriving. He was making <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-new-friends-as-an-adult-arranged-friendships-2023-7">new friends</a> easily and managing the increased workload better than I'd imagined possible. He was not the victim of any vicious bullying or inescapable peer-validation treadmills.He was doing great — not because of some protective shield of perfectly tabbed binder folders I'd curated, but because of his resilience and resourcefulness. And most of the supplies I bought? They remained totally untouched.I'd let the noise of the outside world and my own fears drown out the one person I needed to pay attention to most: my son.Though there will be more twists and turns as we navigate teenagerhood, I learned my lessons from the Great School Supply Panic of 2022. There is no way to pen-proof my child against the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parenting-teens-is-a-balance-too-close-or-too-far-2021-12">challenges of adolescence</a>.All I can do is remember to be a parent who listens more closely to how her child is actually doing. I need to keep reminding him of who he is and try to enjoy the view from the passenger seat as he starts taking more of the wheel. (Theoretically, of course. There's no way I'm ready for the real thing.)

I started obsessing over my son's school supply list. I realized I was just anxious about him starting middle school.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Many kids report being bullied — but what if your child is the bully?</li><li>If your kid is hurting others, you can intervene with conversations, consequences, and outside help.</li></ul>When you think about <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-talk-about-bullying-2017-5">kids and bullying</a>, you may envision name-calling on the playground or a fight on the school bus. But bullying can happen anywhere, and it's likely more common than you think.In <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019054.pdf">a national survey in 2017</a>, one in five 12- to 18-year-old students reported having been bullied at school. And in <a href="https://i.cartoonnetwork.com/stop-bullying/pdfs/CN_Stop_Bullying_Cyber_Bullying_Report_9.30.20.pdf">a survey of 9- to 12-year-old students</a> conducted in 2020, about half said they'd experienced bullying at school, while about 15% said they'd been cyberbullied.It can be difficult to know how to respond if your <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-facing-my-sons-bullies-helped-heal-wounds-my-past-2022-4">kid is being bullied</a>. But what if your child or teen is the one causing the problem? Even if your kid is already involved in bullying behaviors, you can take steps to stop or prevent it.A parenting-book author and a child-and-adolescent psychiatrist shared advice for how to cope when you discover your child is bullying someone else, whether online or in person.<h2>Pay attention</h2>If your kid is bullying in person, you may not always hear about it from their school or another parent.<a href="https://www.bark.us/about/titania-jordan/">Titania Jordan</a>, the author of "<a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=biauto-59455-20&amp;postID=63727c5f5178b00ee21d147e&amp;site=in&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FParenting-Tech-World-handbook-raising%2Fdp%2F0578733153">Parenting in a Tech World</a>," suggested asking your child's school and activity leaders to inform you about any bullying behaviors. It may also help to do the same with the parents of your child's friends.It could be even harder to know if your child is engaged in cyberbullying. But <a href="https://healthcare.ascension.org/doctors/1659633709/larry-d-mitnaul,-jr-wichita-ks">Larry Mitnaul</a>, a child-and-adolescent psychiatrist based in Kansas, recommends taking a proactive approach to identifying signs of bullying."In this age of parenting through screens, it's helpful if we are vigilant in those spaces so we can identify when our children are being mean, coercive, or intimidating," he said.Jordan said that installing monitoring software is one way to keep tabs on a kid's online behavior. Understanding the types of bullying that can happen online is also important: While cyberbullying can include direct harassment, such as sending hurtful text messages or leaving negative comments on social media, it can also include posting embarrassing photos of someone else or excluding others from a game or conversation.<h2>Stay calm</h2>It's upsetting to find out your child is bullying. But a big emotional reaction may prevent your child from opening up to you about what's going on with both the behaviors and why your child may be engaging in them."Remaining calm can help you have a powerful, candid conversation about why this isn't acceptable and how to remedy the situation," Jordan said.Take a few deep breaths and, if needed, a few minutes of alone time so you can approach your child calmly. Jordan suggested first letting your child know you love them unconditionally before you ask questions about the situation or explain the gravity of their behavior.<h2>Discuss the behavior</h2>Mitnaul suggested sitting down to discuss the situation with your child and, if applicable, another adult who lives with you. Let your child know you're aware of what's happening and want to understand so you can help remedy it."Try to get to know the context of what's been going on so you know how to approach the next steps," Mitnaul said. For example, ask whether the bullying happened one time or is ongoing, and why your child incited it.Once you learn more about what happened, talk to your child about why the behavior is inappropriate and harmful. Tailor the discussion depending on your child's age. "A younger child may not understand expected behavior in interpersonal relationships, so this is a chance to share the weight of their actions," Mitnaul said.No matter your child's developmental phase, encourage empathy by asking them to imagine and express how the other person felt.<h2>Encourage new strategies</h2>Kids bully for many reasons, ranging from simple misunderstandings to anxiety and low self-esteem.Mitnaul said that after learning why your kid bullied and explaining why bullying isn't acceptable, you should try to provide tools for dealing with similar situations and preventing the bullying."For example, maybe your child says, 'I've been rude to Sally because she's always looking at me like I'm dumb,'" he said. In that case, you'd want to help your child understand that the classmate may not have meant to look at them that way and that if they're upset they can ask a teacher for help.If your child has been mean to others <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/what-is-anxiety">because of anxiety</a> or low self-esteem, you can work on those things together and enlist help from a school staff member or medical professional if necessary.<h2>Consider consequences</h2>Showing your child that there are consequences to their actions — and that their actions can affect other people — is another way to help stop bullying. Encourage them to apologize to the person they hurt, whether in person or through a note. "Help kids practice learning to say they're sorry with their actions so they can mend the relationship," Mitnaul said.You may also consider a consequence at home, such as taking away an activity your child likes for a certain amount of time. Mitnaul said kids often imitate bullying behaviors they see online, so limiting or monitoring <a href="https://www.insider.com/i-started-playing-minecraft-with-my-neurodivergent-son-2022-11">screen time</a> after the incident may help.While discipline can be effective in stopping unwanted behavior, Mitnaul also suggested positive reinforcement. "Reward your child for the behavior you want to see, such as being loving or helpful toward a sibling," he said.<h2>Know when to seek help</h2>If the bullying is recurrent or you're feeling overwhelmed with your child's negative behaviors at home, in school, or online, it may be time to seek support. Mitnaul suggested sharing your concerns with your child's doctor, who can recommend a path forward.Mitnaul said that along with evaluating your child for mental- or behavioral-health concerns, a pediatrician can recommend strategies to try at home or refer you to a specialist like a therapist or a psychiatrist.<h2>Ditch the guilt</h2>If your child's actions don't align with your family's values, you may feel upset or even guilty. Know that your child's behavior isn't necessarily a reflection of your parenting or even of their character. Jordan emphasized that even good people — especially kids whose brains aren't fully developed — can make poor choices.Use this opportunity to reflect on and instill in your child what matters to you most as a parent."You are the primary influencer in your child's life," Mitnaul said. "So try to take your guilt and use it as an opportunity for deeper connection."

What to do if your child is a bully to kids online or at school

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11895013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media" source="Orion">Social media</keyword> use may expose teens to peer pressure, cyberbullying, and increased <keyword id="11902572" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mental-health" source="Orion">mental health</keyword> risk.</li><li>But, social media can also connect isolated teens and help them find supportive networks. </li></ul><keyword id="12187780" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="teenagers" source="Orion">Teenagers</keyword> and tweens are spending more time than ever on screens and social media. Social media use and screen time in general has risen sharply among teens and tweens, with teens saying they spend almost an hour and a half a day on social media, according to 2021 survey results from <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/8-18-census-integrated-report-final-web_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Common Sense Media</a>.At the same time, mental <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">health</keyword> issues like depression have <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-019-01697-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> among teenagers since the beginning of the 2010s.Could there be a connection? While research has found that social media can negatively impact teenagers, there are many positive effects, as well. Here's what experts say about how social media is affecting teens. <h2>The negative effects of social media</h2>Teenagers' brains are <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still developing</a>, making them especially vulnerable to the detrimental aspects of social media. Here are four ways that social media might affect teens negatively:<h3>1. Mental health</h3>Studies have suggested that some teenagers are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945717303507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losing sleep</a> due to social media use at night, and some are more distracted from it during the school day. <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/teens-and-sleep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lack of sleep</a> can contribute to poor school performance and even increase the risk of developing mental health issues. "While we can't say anything yet about direct causation, we are seeing strong negative correlations in a few areas," says <a href="https://www.stanfordbrainstorm.com/neha-chaudhary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neha Chaudhary</a>, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Chaudhary says social media may be tied to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140197116301713" target="_blank" rel="noopener">depression</a>, lowered <a href="https://www.insider.com/low-self-esteem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-esteem</a>, and loneliness. In fact, a large <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2749480">2019 study</a> found that young people who spend more than three hours on social media may have a higher risk of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5675073/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internalizing mental health disorders</a>, such as <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">depression</a> or <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anxiety</a>.A large <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29296-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 study</a> shed light on which ages are most susceptible to the harms associated with social media. Here's what they found:<ul><li>Young women seemed most sensitive to social media between ages 11 and 13, when an increase in social media use was followed by a decrease in life satisfaction a year later. </li><li>Males were more likely to have this experience around 14 or 15. </li><li>Both genders had an increase in sensitivity to social media around age 19. </li><li>Decreases in life satisfaction were followed by increases in social media use, pointing to it as a possible coping mechanism.</li></ul>But research is mixed over whether social media use is directly related to an increased risk of mental health issues. For example, one <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X20304031#bib38" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 study</a> focusing on 8th and 10th grade students found that social media was not a cause of depressive symptoms in teens, except in girls who already had a low risk of depression.<h3>2. Body image</h3>Research has found <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25462886/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a correlation</a> between social media and having a negative <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-social-media-affects-body-image" target="_blank" rel="noopener">body image</a>. Social media can harbor an environment where it's easy for teens to compare themselves to the often edited and perfected photos of peers, celebrities, or influencers.<a href="https://www.wcwonline.org/Active-Researchers/linda-charmaraman-phd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linda Charmaraman</a>, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and director of the <a href="https://www.wcwonline.org/Youth-Media-Wellbeing-Research-Lab/youth-media-wellbeing-research-lab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Youth, Media &amp; Wellbeing Research Lab</a>, found that <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21% of teens</a> "felt down" about themselves after looking at social media. More than half of those teens reported that the feeling was related to their bodies. Charmaraman says groups who were particularly vulnerable to this were women, those with large online peer networks, those who checked their social media frequently, and those who followed celebrities. Those feelings don't end after the teenage years. In a small <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S174014451730517X#!" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 study</a> of undergraduate college women, participants who looked at or engaged with an attractive female peer on social media were more likely to experience an increase in negative feelings around their body image than subjects who engaged with a family member's social media.<h3>3. Peer pressure</h3>Peer pressure for teenagers is nothing new. However, social media worsens this pressure because teens are exposed to and getting feedback from many more people than they would encounter in daily life. Teens can be especially influenced by "likes" on social media sites like <keyword id="11892996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> or Facebook. In a small <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5387999/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 study</a> of teenage participants, researchers created a social media feed similar to Instagram and measured the teens' brain responses. Here's what they found:<ul><li>Teens were more likely to "like" photos that already had a large number of likes. </li><li>Teens' brain activity — specifically areas associated with reward processing and attention — was greater when viewing photos with more "likes."</li><li>This was true whether the photo depicted risky behavior (such as a peer holding a cannabis cigarette) or not. </li></ul>These results indicate that teens learn from the social cues of their peers online and take note when they are rewarded with "likes" and attention.<h3>4. Cyberbullying</h3>Chaudhary says that social media opens the door for teens to compare themselves to their peers and deprioritize communicating in-person. "What's more is, from a mental health perspective, social media has introduced new risks: teens can now harm or be harmed by others online."According to Chaudhary, teens on social media are more apt to say something negative or mean. According to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 Pew Research</a> survey. 59% of teens in the United States have experienced cyberbullying. A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6434491/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 study</a> of college students found that experiencing cyberbullying may be tied to increased anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation.<h2>Social media use can still be positive</h2>However, according to the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pew survey</a>, 31% of teens say that social media use has a "mostly positive" impact on their lives, while only 24% say "mostly negative." The other 45% said that social media's effect was neither positive nor negative."Social media usage can certainly have positive effects, such as a sense of social connectivity and belonging, personal contentment and self-esteem, emotional expression and control, and identity development," Charmaraman says. In fact, more than half of teens in Charmaraman's study reported giving and receiving emotional support online. This can be especially important for teens who have an illness, are navigating their LGBTQ+ identity, or dealing with other experiences that might be isolating. <h2>How parents can help teenagers navigate social media </h2>Setting limitations can help your teen learn to use social media positively without suffering from the negative associations."Just like you wouldn't give your child the keys to a car for the first time and let them drive away without any practice, you'll need to be there to teach them how to use social media in a healthy way," Charmaraman says. "Together, you can set rules and shared expectations that promote your teen's autonomy while safeguarding them from risks."Research has found that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/01/07/how-parents-monitor-their-teens-digital-behavior/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parental monitoring</a> is tied to less problematic behaviors, like social media addiction or bullying others online. Here are a few ways that parents can help their kids foster a healthy relationship with social media:<ul><li>Restrict access to social media, for example, by setting curfews or time limits on social teens' media usage. A small <a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 study</a> of college students found that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day can boost well-being.</li><li>Monitor social media behavior, by following teens' social media accounts or asking for access. </li><li>Communicate openly about expectations around social media. For example, discuss the impact of cyberbullying, and encourage teens to never say something online that they wouldn't say in person. </li><li>Encourage breaks, even for a short period. A <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cyber.2021.0324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 study</a> found that taking a one week break from social media was enough to improve well-being and reduce depression and anxiety.</li></ul>If parents are concerned about their teens' social media use, they should talk with them about how social media is making them feel, Chaudhary says. In addition, it's important that parents model these best practices in their own social media use. <h2>Insider's takeaway</h2>As teens' social media use continues to increase, so do rates of mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Research has shown that social media can interfere with sleep and that more time spent on social media sites is associated with an increased risk of some mental health disorders. Social media can also serve as a vehicle for peer pressure and cyberbullying. However, social media isn't all bad. It allows teens a space to form their own identity and find support from online communities.Parents can help their teens foster a healthy relationship with social media by communicating openly about the harms and benefits. They can also set time limits and encourage breaks to keep teens from spending an unhealthy amount of time online. If you're very concerned about your teen's social media use, seek guidance from a mental health professional.

How does social media affect teenagers? Understanding the mental health impact — and why it's not all bad

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Holly May is global chief human resources officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance.</li><li>May told Insider that being open about the challenges you're facing can make you a better leader.</li></ul><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=111a0af830e6a60ad04b0dcaf8540b946cfa6313fa9e41f67f7f887f718de836&amp;postID=64d68293837033154c8ac8e3&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmayholly%2F">Holly May</a> believes opening up about who you are and the challenges you're facing outside the office can make you a better leader.She told Insider about how she "really had to open up and be honest" about what she was going through when her son was diagnosed with autism at 18 months — all while she was adjusting to a new job and a new city."I didn't have a doctor. I didn't know how to get into a network of specialists," she said. "I had to really open up and be honest about what I was going through for the first time. And it unlocked this very new element of my leadership where I realized by, you know, being honest and authentic about who I was, my team members did the same."May has been executive vice president and global chief human resources officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance since 2021 following roles at Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, Starbucks, and Visa. At Walgreens, she said she's not only concerned about employees' well-being, but also that of their families and the communities the company serves. (The company has 325,000 workers globally; 240,000 are in the US.)That's why Walgreens has expanded its partnership with Mental Health America with a youth initiative to create a back-to-school toolkit with resources that address a range of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youth-mental-health/index.html">mental health challenges adolescents and youths face</a>, including social media addiction and cyberbullying. It will be shared with more than 1,000 schools later this summer."We hear from a lot of the parents that we have within our workplace: 'What are the steps you take?' 'What are the warning signs?' 'How do you get in there and address the issue in the right way?' 'How are teachers looking out for this at school?' 'When you think about body-image issues, you're thinking about all the things that come from that?' 'What are the resources?' 'Who do you reach out to if something's going on?'" May said.She said it's important to connect all parts of someone's life. "It doesn't matter what you say, as a leader, if you want your team to be honest with you or tell you about how they would perform at their best, they're not going to do so unless you take the wall down and you're open about yourself," she said."Whatever is happening in my day — if I arrived late because my son just spilled his breakfast down the front of my shirt — I'm honest about that. And I really believe that builds trust in a team. And when you have that trust built, you can really enable your people to perform at their best." Insider recently asked May about her work in HR and meeting the needs of the company's large employee base.The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.What kind of challenges does a company like Walgreens face within HR?I think it's about keeping our people motivated, both in our office, in the field, in our pharmacies and in our distribution centers. And we've done that by really developing our own people vision, which is to care for our team members as whole people. What that looks like is really listening to our team members, really trying to understand their specific needs — versus going out and trying to match what others do — and delivering that for them.As you can imagine, on the heels of the pandemic, and just talking about the latest COVID surge, what our pharmacists — what the individuals in our stores are dealing with — extraordinary challenges. They've really risen to the task and we want to make sure we're delivering for each of them and meeting their needs — not only their needs, but the needs of their family members and their communities.Walgreens has a lot of different employees. You have pharmacists, you have retail workers, and then you have folks in offices. How do you try to meet those various needs? Because each one of those groups is different.We rarely do anything with a one-size-fits-all approach. I'll give you a great example. So we rolled out, not this past May but the one before, during Mental Health Awareness Month, a new mental-health program called Be Well Connected. It had three different components, because we really listened to our people and understood the way they receive mental health care, and the best ways of delivering that would need to look different depending on their schedule, whether they're in a store all day, whether they need to get support at night.It's actually an app you go on and they have live and on-demand classes where you can really interact with those in the class to talk about a variety of mental health topics. It's taught by an expert. We also listened about the programming that they wanted through that so we actually delivered a class specific to mental health for pharmacists, and a class specific for individuals with children with special needs. So they really allowed us to customize.The second part of that program is Indieflix — that's what we lovingly call our own Sundance Channel where we provide films related to different mental health topics that can be watched at any time. And then it's our EAP solution, and providing free mental-health counseling sessions, not only for individuals, but also for their family members. We're thinking about the whole experience. A person's life does not stop when they leave the office.Do you have a policy requiring five days in the office given that the stores are open seven days a week?We have a leader-lead hybrid policy. So depending on the needs of the business segment or the function, the leader is really determining which days in the office people would need to be there. That's based on moments that matter. So whether it be coming together for team meetings, to align on priorities and a way forward, or getting together even for a social event, leaders have really been empowered and are also accountable for bringing their teams in when needed to move forward our strategy and also keep the team engaged.What are some of the challenges that you have faced and overcome as a parent but also as a person who wants to have a fulfilling and exciting career?I am very fortunate to have a CEO who has been so unbelievably supportive of me and has also championed flexibility in the workplace to make sure that mothers of young children who have very hectic schedules inside and out of the workplace are able to be successful.It's been so fulfilling to me and so important to me that even in this role, I've been able to make such an impact in the disability representation and inclusion space. I've gotten to kick off our first neurodiversity in the workplace — the first of neurodiversity-hiring program in our support offices and professional roles. I've been able to give back in my role and kind of use the challenges in my life to perhaps improve the lives of others.I'm also the executive sponsor of our working parents and caregivers, BRG (benefits resource group), where we provide resources and support for other working parents within our company. So giving back for me has been very important and obviously nothing I do would be possible without a wonderful support network at home. But you also need to work for companies with leaders that really understand the challenges. Roz (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walgreens-ceo-roz-brewer-reimagine-future-healthcare-transformative-2022-12">Rosalind Brewer, the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance</a>) has two amazing children who are now adults but she gets it. She gets the challenges — the small things and the big things.How has the HR suite and your job changed from before COVID to now?I think HR looks tremendously different. I've stayed in contact with many of my peers at other companies. For some CEOs and executive teams, there are some companies that I think before COVID understood the power of HR and leveraged it appropriately. I'm proud to say Roz was one of those leaders.But I think for other leaders, they're learning how important it really is. They're learning about how critical workplace flexibility is. You know, the expectation has changed forever. In my humble opinion we're not going to go back to the world that existed before. There's going to be a need to be more flexible, whether that be hybrid work or certain days in the office, it's going to look a lot different than it did and there's a very different expectation.I think more so from Gen Z, but also from millennials about what the workplace is, therefore what an employer should be responsible for delivering to its people. I'm very proud of the work we've done in that space to really provide a differentiated experience, to really prioritize our team members — both their experiences in and out of the office — while delivering for the communities and the patients we serve. I'm really proud of how, in some ways, I believe we've led the charge in many areas to really operate differently and provide a different employee experience, which is what candidates are demanding.What are some of the things that they're asking for that you've thought about adopting at the company?They care about what companies stand for. When you think about our work in ESG, when you think about our support to communities — they care about where they shop, they care about where they work, and there's a different expectation about what we're delivering to them.These generations value compensation less than any other generation before them. The studies are showing that. So what are we doing as an organization to support society? What are we doing actively to change the world? And that's how you attract talent in these new generations.<div type="image" title="In this Wednesday, May 14, 2014, file photo, customers walk toward an entrance to a Walgreens store location, in Boston." height="3191" width="4979" msid="102730250" hostid="261"></div>We've talked about pharmacists, retail, clinical, and then your corporate offices. That's a lot of different jobs. So what are the hardest jobs to fill? How are you working to fill them and where are your key areas of growth or hiring in the next 12 months or so?I would say where our focus has been and will continue to be is pharmacists, pharmacy technicians — really all roles within our pharmacy. The pharmacy schools in the US today are graduating far less and have far less enrollment than they have in previous years. You can only imagine during the pandemic how that impacted things when pharmacists were being asked to do new things. With the testing and then vaccinations — over and above what they had been expected to do before.We're really looking at that role differently, ensuring that we're taking the steps to allow our pharmacists to operate at the top of their license. And that means exploring healthcare services.We're also exploring different ways to consider hybrid roles where maybe not every day you're in person; maybe there are days when you're working virtually.We've done a lot with our micro-fulfillment centers in terms of the activity of dispensing medication, having that centralized, automated, and tech-enabled. And allowing more of that patient-interaction work. We've found and we've heard from our pharmacists that it's a part of the job that they went to pharmacy school for. It's about looking at the role itself and providing a differentiated experience that our pharmacist will see us as a place where they really want to work, where they want to be and be part of, with the health care we're delivering to our communities.We still have a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/jobs/walgreens-signing-bonus/285-6d382f01-bb5c-4098-b6d2-361fa9501ac2">sign-on program</a>. It does vary by region. We're continually looking at this and evolving it to make sure you know our attraction of pharmacists is a priority.What is the one piece of advice you're telling Gen Zers entering the workforce?I would say the importance of learning agility and exploring your passions. I am a very big proponent of not following a traditional career path — learning as much as you can in as many different areas as you can. You never know when it's going to come in handy. I remember when I started my career, one of the first areas that I was tasked with was really more of an internal-audit area, and I'm telling you to this day, that knowledge is still handy. So, whatever interests you, volunteer to be on different projects, even if they're not completely aligned with where you think you want to go, because you'll never know when the information will need to be raised up again.What is your biggest worry about corporate America?I think that we don't lose traction on what we learned, that we don't forget the learnings of the pandemic and the needs of our employees.I think we ask a lot of people every day and, you know, I never cease to be surprised by the commitment, especially here at WBA of our employees to our business and our mission and what we're seeking to achieve.But I think employers need to keep top of mind the needs of their people. And I think we learned so much and I hope as we move forward that what we learned in the pandemic — and what people really need and their support and how people need flexibility to be successful — I really hope that's not forgotten. You know, sometimes things get in the distant past probably too early, but I hope the lessons stick around.

Walgreens' HR chief says leaders need to 'take the wall down' and be open about themselves at work

<ul><li><keyword id="56000" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNICEF">Unicef</keyword> has roped in actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its <keyword id="3043604" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="celebrity-advocate">celebrity advocate</keyword> for promoting rights #ForEveryChild.</li><li>As a part of his association, the actor will support UNICEF towards its work around ending <keyword id="1835045" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Violence-against-children">violence against children</keyword>.</li></ul> Actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been roped in by <keyword id="275625" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNICEF-India">UNICEF India</keyword> as its celebrity advocate for promoting rights #ForEveryChild. Ayushmann Khurrana will support UNICEF towards its work around ending violence against children. Welcoming <keyword id="965758" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ayushman-Khurrana">Ayushman Khurrana</keyword> as a celebrity advocate for children’s rights, <keyword id="6262621" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="yasmin-ali-haque">Yasmin Ali Haque</keyword>, UNICEF Representative in India said, “I am delighted to welcome Ayushmann Khurrana as a UNICEF celebrity advocate. He’s an actor who challenges the boundary of every role he plays. He will bring a sensitivity, passion and a powerful voice for every child, with a specific focus towards ending violence against children. Ayushmann’s support will help increase awareness about this important issue, especially now with Covid-19 heightening the risk of violence and abuse against children due to the extended lockdown and the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.” Ayushmann Khurrana said, “I am very pleased to partner with UNICEF as a celebrity advocate. I believe that everyone deserves the best start in life. As I watch my children play in the safety and happiness of our home, I think about all the children who never get to experience a safe childhood and grow up with violence at home or outside. With UNICEF, I look forward to supporting rights of the most vulnerable children, so that they grow up as happier, healthier, educated citizens in nurturing environments free from violence.” Violence occurs every day and is reality for a large number of girls and boys in India. Often the violence is caused or perpetrated by someone the child knows and trusts. Violence happens in those places intended to be protective: at home, at school, in their communities, in specialized institutions for children. It can also be online. As daily lives and families are disrupted by COVID-19, children may be at increased risk as illness, school closures, job loss and isolation measures put additional stress on families and may lead to negative coping mechanisms that may sadly include abusive behaviors against children. Children deserve to live free from violence and to have a chance to live happy, healthy lives in which they can achieve their full potential and contribute to their families and communities. UNICEF is committed to ending violence against children by partnering with children and young people, families, communities, influencers and governments. Addressing violence against children is a priority for UNICEF, placing violence prevention at the core of its work. Data on violence against children <ul><li>One out of five adolescent girls have experienced physical violence since age 15 and one in three adolescent girls married or in union have experienced violence by their husband or partners. (Source: NFHS 4)</li><li>Every hour 5 cases of child sexual abuse are reported. (Source: NCRB 2018).</li><li>50% of cases of sexual abuse are perpetrated by close family members or friends. (Source: NCRB, 2018)</li><li>99% of school children are subjected to physical and mental abuse by teachers (Source: NCPCR, 2012)</li><li>One in three children in India reported that they experienced cyberbullying. (Source: U-Report, 2019)</li></ul>

Ayushmann Khurrana joins hands with UNICEF India to advocate for child rights

<div type="image" title="britney spears" height="900" width="1200" msid="80889662" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14710" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Britney-spears">Britney Spears</keyword> became an overnight success, then faced years of constant harassment.</li><li>When the scrutiny became too overwhelming, Spears and her mental state became a worldwide joke.</li><li>These days we're better at acknowledging <keyword id="6354774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mental-health">mental health</keyword> stigma, but we still pick at stars, and round-the-clock <keyword id="6354632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media">social media</keyword> has replaced Spears' swarming paparazzi.</li></ul>I have a vivid memory of going to the grocery store with my mom when I was 13, and just staring.It was 2007, and tabloid covers of a tired-looking, stressed-out, and bald-headed Britney Spears dominated the checkout aisle magazine stands.Spears is 13 years my senior and as a child, I'd always seen her as the woman I wanted to become: Gorgeous, talented, and beloved. Those paparazzi photos, burned into my head forever, portrayed the opposite. I felt sad, and pitied Spears when she was the butt of primetime TV jokes, but I couldn't explain why it felt wrong. Last week, when the New York Times and Hulu released the documentary <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/framing-britney-spears.html">"Framing Britney Spears,"</a> it clicked. The film is a look at <a href="https://www.insider.com/britney-spears-facts-2019-1">her rise to fame</a>, the media bombardment she endured, and how <a href="https://www.insider.com/inside-britney-spears-conservatorship-freebritney-movement-2020-12">she ended up in a 12-year conservatorship</a> meaning that, to this day, her father controls her money and life.It put so perfectly what we all had trouble expressing at the time: Britney Spears, at 26 years old, was in shambles and needed compassion and help. Instead, she got abuse and scrutiny.It's been over a decade and a lot has changed. If Spears rose to fame today, we'd have language to identify the bullying that put her mental <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> at risk. But that doesn't mean we're better at shutting down harassment and treating <keyword id="6412373" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="celebrities">celebrities</keyword> as real people.Celebrities today have as fraught a <keyword id="6355233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Relationship">relationship</keyword> with their social media followers as the stars of 2007 had with paparazzi and magazines. Take Spears herself: she barely goes out, isn't working, and famously does not post anything of note on her Instagram. And yet every photo, video, and caption is the subject of scrutiny. There's even a <a href="https://britneysinstagram.libsyn.com/">weekly podcast analyzing her posts, seen by 27.7 million followers.</a>Whether we've got the language for it or not, we just don't know how to leave famous people alone, and that's what sends people like Spears into a spiral.<h2>Two events pushed us to take mental health more seriously: Sandy Hook and Robin Williams' death</h2>It wasn't until recently that Americans had the vocabulary to discuss mental health.In 2006, a year before Spears' breakdown made national headlines, the National Alliance on Mental Illness <a href="https://www.nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/Publications/Reports/GTS06_final.pdf">released its first report in 15 years</a> examining the state of healthcare for those struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mind-related issues. The report concluded the United States deserved a D-rating for its lack of mental-health infrastructure and information access.<a href="https://sirisatnam.com/meet-dr-siri/">Siri Sat Nam</a>, a licensed marriage and family therapist who's worked with stars like Katy Perry and Waka Flocka Flame, remembers a turning point in 2013. The Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, where 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire and killed 20 children and then himself, was a pivotal moment for America's mental-health reckoning. The New York Times later reported <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/nyregion/before-newtown-shootings-adam-lanzas-mental-problems-completely-untreated-report-says.html">Lanza had a history of untreated mental health issues</a>."I think this is stuff that's in the underbelly of consciousness and it rises at particular times when a culture is ready. When traditions are really shook up, it calls us to get the term mental health," and the horror of Sandy Hook did just that, Sat Nam told Insider.That year, state funding for <a href="https://www.nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/Publications/Reports/2013StateLegislationReportFinal.pdf">mental health services increased.</a> Months later, the rollout of the Affordable Care Act began, giving 2.65 million Americans with mental health needs access to care.<div type="image" title="britney spears" height="1352" width="1800" msid="80889663" hostid="261"></div>Another shift came in 2014, when the beloved actor Robin Williams died of suicide, shocking fans who knew little of his behind-the-scenes struggle with Parkinson's disease and depression. Moments after the news broke, Twitter and Instagram were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/business/media/robin-williamss-death-reflected-in-social-media.html">flooded with images of Williams</a>. His death "served as a reminder that mental illness affects everyone regardless of age or socioeconomic status," Gregory Dalack, chair of the Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry, told <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/decade-defined-mental-health_l_5dfbb32fe4b01834791d713c">HuffPost reporter Lindsay Holmes</a>.Over the next few years, our vocabulary built. As a society we discussed mental health in the wake of the deaths of famed fashion designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain, also by suicide.We also saw mental health creep into pop culture, with positive portrayals of therapists on <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/decade-defined-mental-health_l_5dfbb32fe4b01834791d713c">television shows</a> like "13 Reasons Why," "This Is Us," and <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reality-tv-normalizing-therapy_l_5d77d4e5e4b075210233f4f9">"The Real Housewives of Potomac."</a>But more conversations and positive portrayals haven't led to actionable change, as rates of anxiety and depression continue to rise. 6.7% of Americans, or 17.3 million people, said they <a href="https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression">suffered from depression</a> in 2017, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 18.1% or 40 million <a href="https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics">suffer from anxiety</a> every year.<h2>Relentless social media makes it difficult for the famous to catch a break </h2>"Framing Britney Spears" illustrates how the paparazzi hounded the star for years, to the point she went on TV to say her biggest wish was for them to leave her alone.But, as the documentary lays out, her tearful request wasn't enough. Daniel Ramos, a former paparazzo who followed Spears and took the famous shot of her bashing his car with an umbrella, still sees his relationship with her in a positive light."It was like she needed us and we needed her. We both needed each other. It was a great kind of a relationship," Ramos said in the film. "There were times when she [was] like, 'Can you leave me alone for the day?'" Ramos said. "But it wasn't like, 'Leave me alone forever.' You know what I mean?"<div type="image" title="Britney Spears leaves the Stanley Mosk Courthouse after a hearing regarding her ongoing child custody case on October 26, 2007 in Los Angeles California." height="1950" width="2601" msid="80889664" hostid="261"></div>Today fans can like, comment, and directly message their favorite stars on social media, actions that give a false sense of closeness, a term researchers call <a href="https://psmag.com/social-justice/rihanna-doesnt-give-a-crap-about-you">"parasocial interaction."</a>America's fixation on celebrities as quasi-royals is a "double-edged sword," Sat Nam said.These one-sided relationships that can feel two-sided to fans have <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-our-make-believe-relationships-with-celebrities-shape-our-social-lives">existed since the advent of TV</a>, but have become more commonplace on oversaturated social media channels."The issue that that then creates is that sometimes viewers will feel some sort of ownership over the creator and the content," Arienne Ferchaud, an assistant professor in the School of Communication at Florida State University who studies the relationships between online personalities and the public, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17832948/youtube-youtubers-influencer-creator-fans-subscribers-friends-celebrities">told The Verge's Megan Farokhmanesh</a>.When celebrities give into their fandom's pull, the aftermath can be devastating for their mental health because their public and private lives become blurred and they can lose their sense of self, according to Sat Nam. Though the #FreeBritney movement has a positive bend, with <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9445049/free-britney-spears-movement-started/">global marches</a> and constant messages of support on her Instagram, the level of surveillance can be suffocating."The public makes a star. They choose, gather around them, support them, and buy their records or whatever. Not saying they're not talented and great, but we make them. And then we also can destroy them," Sat Nam said."That's a lot for anybody to go through, being under scrutiny all the time. It's exciting at one point when you first start with, but if you haven't prepared for that, there's no privacy," said Sat Nam.<h2>Cyberbullying can be more insidious than in-person hate</h2>If social media users band together to scrutinize someone behind the safety of a computer screen, the feedback can be <a href="https://www.insider.com/toxic-tragic-results-of-online-hate-bullying-cancel-culture-2020-2">too overwhelming for one person to handle</a>.It's something <a href="https://www.doctorsam.com/about-doctor-sam/">Dr. Samantha Saltz</a>, a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist in Boca Raton, Florida, sees often with her adolescent patients who've experienced cyberbullying."The victims of bullying are unable to separate themselves from anywhere where they have access to the internet, so they get bullied over and over and over again. They literally cannot separate themselves," Saltz told Insider. "It used to be where we could separate ourselves from any kind of bad situation. We go home versus being at work where something bad is happening."It's also a reality for social-media-present celebrities today.15-year-old TikTok star Charli D'Amelio said she gets <a href="https://www.insider.com/charli-dixie-damelio-tik-tok-biggest-stars-cyberbullying-video-2020-2">hundreds of thousands of hate comments</a> every week about her appearance. British reality TV star <a href="https://www.insider.com/toxic-tragic-results-of-online-hate-bullying-cancel-culture-2020-2">Caroline Flack</a> died by suicide in February 2020 after her personal life became months-long tabloid and social media gossip. This month, singer <a href="https://hellogiggles.com/celebrity/chloe-bailey-defense-shamed-instagram/">Chloe Bailey was shamed</a> for being too sexy on TikTok after she posted a video to a viral dancing trend on the app.<h2>We just can't leave celebrities alone</h2>I wish I could tell my 13-year-old self the world has become a kinder to place to people struggling with mental health issues big and small, but that would be a lie. Spears remains under her conservatorship with her father keeping partial control over her <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/02/10/as-the-freebritney-movement-grows-a-look-at-britney-spears-net-worth/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CShe%20will%20not%20perform%20again,the%20rest%20is%20in%20cash.">$60 million net worth</a>. Despite a record-breaking Vegas residency and hit songs and music videos in recent years, 39-year-old Spears is still fighting to prove she's fit to be independent. Her Instagram, the only way fans can communicate with Spears, has become just as scrutinized as her every move the paparazzi documented and hosts called out on national television.On Monday, Spears <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLDazlnAftJ/">shared a selfie on Instagram</a> with a simple caption of three mango emojis and no words."We're listening," one follower commented. Another said they were googling the "spiritual meaning of mangoes" as a clue into the potential hidden meaning behind the pop star's post. Another thought "mango" could really mean "Man, go," a reference to Britney's father and his power over her.Despite Spears' disappearance from the public eye, we're still scrapping for anything she does. We mean well, but hundreds of thousands of well-meaning remarks can be overwhelming, just like a swarm of camera-clad paparazzi.

The world treated Britney Spears' mental health as a punchline. Things have changed for celebrities, but not for the better.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Shutterstock</div></div></div><ul><li>A new study found 6% of US teens anonymously post or share mean things about themselves online.</li><li>The act is called "digital self-harm," and its rates mirror those of traditional self-harm, such as cutting.</li><li>Experts have found teens digital self-harm in an effort to validate their insecurities in a public space.</li></ul>In past decades, teenagers struggling to deal with their emotions might have coped by taking a razor blade to their forearm or extinguishing cigarettes on their skin.Today's teens, products of the internet era, have found an additional outlet.Approximately 6% of adolescents between 12 and 17 years old engage in a practice known as "digital self-harm," or the posting or sharing of demeaning information about oneself anonymously online, a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X17303130?showall%3Dtrue%26via%3Dihub">new study</a> finds."I was surprised that the numbers were as high as they were," Justin Patchin, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire and the study's lead author, told Business Insider.A growing body of evidence has found smartphones to be a driving force in declining mental health among teenagers. Teen suicide rates <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/teen-suicides-outnumber-homicides-smartphones-2017-8">recently eclipsed</a> homicide rates, and some psychologists claim it's largely due to the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/?utm_source=atlfb">loneliness and anxiety</a> produced by digital technology."I don't think it dawned on anyone that teens would leverage anonymity in this way," Dr. Danah Boyd, digital self-harm researcher and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300166311/danah-20">"It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens,"</a> <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25120783">told</a> the BBC. "It tends to startle anyone I tell about it."Researchers like Boyd (who was not involved in the latest study) have found that digital self-harm offers teens a chance to safely get attention from friends and publicize the negative feelings they've been keeping in their heads. The act can serve as a kind of purge - expunging bad self-impressions, either about appearance or personality, can validate a young person's insecurities."The ubiquity of social media and the way in which youth present and represent themselves in order to obtain attention, validation, and feedback from an audience," the authors wrote, "may enhance the likelihood they choose online spaces as the preferred venue through which they can affect and reach others."A 15-year-old named Ellie (not her real name) told the BBC a similar story in 2013."The posts would say I was ugly, I was useless, I wasn't loved … all the stuff in my head," Ellie said. "If I saw it in black and white coming from 'other people' I knew it must be true."The latest study is the largest to offer a picture of digital self-harm's prevalence in the US. A representative sample of 5,593 middle and high school students were surveyed about their online behavior, with 7.1% of males and 5.3% of females saying they cyberbullied themselves.A prior survey, issued in 2013 by the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, found roughly <a href="http://webhost.bridgew.edu/marc/DIGITAL%20SELF%20HARM%20report.pdf">9% of teens</a> engaged in the practice.These rates mirror those of traditional forms of self-harm, known more formally as "nonsuicidal self-injury," or NSSI. A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3382916/">study</a> published in 2012 determined 8% of the 665 youths who were surveyed said they engaged in a form of NSSI, be it cutting, burning, or hitting. The survey found a wider variation among genders, however, than the latest study on digital self-harm: While 19% of ninth-grade girls reported some form, only 5% of ninth-grade boys did.Researchers behind the new study found those who engaged in traditional self-harm were three times as likely to digitally self-harm.The team also conceded it couldn't parse out every specific reason for digital self-harm. It could be the case that some portion of teens self-cyberbully because they enjoy a "misguided pleasure in deceiving others," the coauthors wrote.The research team advocated even more support from celebrities and activists, who have started campaigns to fight self-harm, such as <a href="http://twloha.org/">To Write Love on Her Arms</a> and the <a href="http://itgetsbetter.com/">It Gets Better</a> project."We believe these efforts should be redoubled by other far-reaching entities," the coauthors wrote, "especially given the powerful and unparalleled influence that digital content and communications have on this population." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/concept-flow-help-get-in-zone-work-brad-stulberg-2017-9">Learning this psychological concept can help you get in the zone at work</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

A surprising number of teenagers are engaging in 'digital self-harm,' the practice of being mean to yourself online

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Spending too much time scrolling can increase feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. </li><li>To take a break from <keyword id="11895013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media" source="Orion">social media</keyword>, you should turn off notifications and set time limits.</li><li>Taking a break that lasts for hours, days, or weeks can all be beneficial to your <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">health</keyword> and happiness. </li></ul>Have you ever wanted to take a break from your phone, but find it difficult to resist the urge to constantly check social media? Around the world, about <a href="https://www.digitalmarketing.org/blog/how-much-time-does-the-average-person-spend-on-social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3.96</a> billion people use social media, spending an average of 144 minutes on it every day. Because these social networking sites are known to lure you in and keep you addicted, it's imperative to learn how to take a break from social media. Here are a few common signs and strategies for taking a refreshing social media break. <h2>Why it's important to take a break from social media </h2>From a health perspective, social media is a double-edged sword, says <a href="http://nehachaudharymd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neha Chaudhary,</a> MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School."On one hand, it helps us stay connected to each other and combat loneliness, which could be good for our health since studies have shown that <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-social-isolation-affects-mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social isolation</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/does-loneliness-weaken-the-immune-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loneliness</a> can negatively impact health," Chaudhary says. "On the other hand, social media is often associated with cyberbullying, social comparison, and other phenomena that can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing."To ensure that social media has a positive impact on your health, it's important to be conscious of how you're using it. That means knowing when to take a break and direct your attention elsewhere. Remember that social media is a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7364393/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sedentary behavior</a>. Even though you may be talking to friends, social media limits your capacity for face-to-face interactions and makes you spend less time out in the real world and more time on your phone or computer. In addition, social media may cause feelings of <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-relieve-stress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stress</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anxiety</a>, or <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">depression</a> if you find yourself comparing other people's lives to yours. "As far as <keyword id="6354774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mental-health" source="Orion">mental health</keyword>, [social media] can affect our self-esteem and lead to us comparing ourselves to edited photos and lives that appear perfect," says <a href="https://www.kataramccarty.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katara McCarty</a>, creator of <a href="https://www.kataramccarty.com/katara-exhale-app" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EXHALE</a>, a well-being app for Black and Indigenous Women of Color. "If we are sitting on social media for extended hours, we aren't taking the time to take care of our bodies and enjoy life outside of social media." <h2>Signs you should take a break from social media</h2>There are a few key signs that may indicate it's time for you to take a social media break, including: It's not fun anymore. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are meant to be a fun and enjoyable way to connect with family and friends. If you find that it's no longer a source of joy and connection in your life, it may be a <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/signs-you-need-to-take-a-break-from-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sign</a> to take a break.You're comparing yourself to others. "If you are feeling like you aren't good enough, pretty enough, or successful enough while consuming what's in your news feed, you should consider taking a break," says McCarty. "If you find that you feel worse about yourself after you're on social media, then it's not a resource that is adding to your emotional well-being."You're doomscrolling. <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doomscrolling-and-how-to-avoid-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doomscrolling</a> occurs when you find yourself mindlessly, and continuously, scrolling through social media sites. You may doomscroll because you feel the need to constantly know everything that's happening in the world— from news to trending topics. You may not even realize you're doing it until a huge lapse of time has passed and you're still sitting in the same position on your phone or computer.It's the last thing you see at night. Looking at your phone before bed may be <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/put-the-phone-away-3-reasons-why-looking-at-it-before-bed-is-a-bad-habit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disrupting</a> your sleep because it keeps your mind active and awake. The blue light from your cell phone suppresses <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-melatonin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">melatonin</a>, which is a hormone responsible for controlling sleep. Since blue light is an artificial color that imitates daylight, your body will think it's daytime and keep you energized, thus resisting the urge to wind down for sleep. It transitions from a nice-to-have activity to a need-to-have activity. "This is a helpful rule of thumb for deciding to take a break," says Chaudhary. "If you're occasionally using it to stay connected or otherwise enhance your life, that's a nice-to-have. But, if you're using it as an unhealthy way to cope with underlying anxiety or feeling yourself becoming distressed if you haven't checked it in a while, those may be signs that you need a break."<h2>How to take a break from social media </h2>Even if you recognize that you should take a break from social media to improve your health, it can be difficult to do. For many, scrolling through social media can be an addictive stimulus, and it will take some real willpower to break the habit. "If you want to effectively take a break, you'll have to be intentional about it," says Chaudhary. "It can help if you pull in a friend or family member to keep you accountable." Here are five helpful tips to help you take a break from social media — and stick to it. Turn off your notifications from platforms. When you get a notification for a "like" or "comment" on a post, it results in a "<a href="http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">positive social stimulus and dopamine influx.</a>" This stimulus, also associated with drug use, will result in a release of <a href="https://www.insider.com/serotonin-vs-dopamine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dopamine</a>. This positive dopamine rush can cause addictive feelings and may make it hard to avoid social media. The constant beeping and buzzing may also make you more likely to check your phone. Turning off notifications can help you actually stick to your social media break. Prioritize self-care. It can be especially helpful to replace your social media use with other mood-boosting activities that don't require your phone. When you get that urge to check your phone and start scrolling, try one of these other healthy options instead: <ul><li>Set up time to hang out with friends in person </li><li>Go for a <a href="https://www.insider.com/benefits-of-walking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">walk</a>, hike, or <a href="https://www.insider.com/benefits-of-cycling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bike ride </a></li><li>Cook your favorite meal </li><li>Journal for 15 minutes </li></ul>Allot time to use social media. Chaudhary recommends identifying what content leaves you feeling better and which makes you feel worse. "From there, you can create plans to limit the things that make you feel bad," says Chaudhary. "A lot of the time, it's placing limits on how much you use based on what the tipping point is from enjoyable to anxiety-provoking or some other negative feeling. That tipping point is going to be different for everyone."Put your phone across the room at night so that you can't scroll before bed. This can help you avoid the urge to start scrolling if you can't fall asleep. Chances are it will also allow you to <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-sleep-better" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get better sleep</a>, which can improve your health and combat other negative side effects of excessive social media use, such as loneliness or depression. Use social media-limiting apps. If you have an iPhone, you can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-limit-screen-time-on-iphone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">track your screentime</a> for different apps and even set time limits for certain social media platforms. "My iPhone shows me the percentage of my usage compared to the week before, so I try to get that percentage down a bit each week," says McCarty. <h2>Insider's takeaway </h2>Overall, there are several manageable strategies you can use to take a break from social media. Spending too much time on your phone can contribute to low self-esteem, loneliness, and depression. Putting your phone down may help in alleviating some of these feelings. "It's healthy to take a break from social media to give time for emotional well-being practices," says McCarty. "It's good for us to break up our day with mental and emotional breaks to regroup and center ourselves."

How to take a break from social media and why it's so important, according to mental health experts

A country with high access to <keyword id="6357247" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet">Internet</keyword>, albeit in urban areas makes a country ‘progressive’ one. In this day and age, being up-to-date with technology is what rates a country high on growth radar. But, as much as India would like to attach some funky tag to its emerging identity, that of being a contradiction where tradition and modernity co-exist with a fair amount of clashes surfacing every now and then, it’s ‘high-tech’ façade sometimes meets with the ugly side. 
 Consider this fact where one among every three teenagers in India is a victim of <keyword id="70923" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cyber-bullying">cyber bullying</keyword>. Though the fact that one in every two teenager faces cyber bullying in the west may bring some respite; among developing countries, India surely seems to be posting a very grim picture of self on this front. 
 In a basic understanding, cyber bullying refers to people using <keyword id="655799" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="electronic-communication">electronic communication</keyword> like emailing, <keyword id="6379342" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Social-Networking">social networking</keyword>, and texting to harm others. 
 
Psychiatrists have expressed concern about this trend, which is becoming a leading reason for teen suicides in urban areas in India. Because, almost every teenager living in big Indian cities does own a mobile phone, through which his access to technology, aka Internet takes place. And, when the adolescent isn’t equipped with life’s lessons or experience to take bullying on his stride, this debilitating experience can leave the teen in deep self doubt. It can tear the person apart and leave highly scared, fearful and unable to seek or access help. 
 
Truth and its implications come close home when one considers this data submitted by a leading company that makes anti-virus applications for computers. In a recently concluded survey, the company put out the findings stating more than 52% of the children/adolescents who had independent access to computer at home or on a shared system, or were users of smartphones, were victims of cyber bullying. They had, in some way or the other, faced negative situation online. 
 
What was more shocking was that the parents of the same children, who were surveyed, had no information about this. More than 84% parents felt their child was doing fine online, had not faced any negative situation, or the term cyber bullying wasn’t something that can be used to describe their children’s online experience. It simply didn’t figure in their list. 
 
Another concerning aspect that came forth during this study was that about 34% children ‘admitted’ to creating negative online experience for their peers or strangers whom they found to be vulnerable on an online platform. 
 
Cyberbullying stems from the fact that the perpetrator is vicariously trying to cover up his/her low self-esteem, by hurling abuses or insults at familiar people, or even total strangers. 
 
This is close to a real-life situation where a person is unduly critical of someone, even those not known to him, to make good for his own poor self-image. 
 
While tackling this issue, children may need their parents’ help to come out of the negativity created by the overall experience. Much like a life situation, where parents hold hands of children during difficult times to walk with them, helping children develop strong self-confidence. 
 
Legislation exists 
Cyber bullying is not a strange concept in India. In fact, there is already a legislation pertaining to this that parents can use to tackle the issue. The act, which came into existence in 2013, is focused on financial crimes and neglected interpersonal criminal behaviours. However, an amendment made to IPC, has covered this lacuna and parents can surely count on the law to protect their children from this situation. 
 
When someone is going through this experience, the person needs a lot of help and counseling to get through the situation. Here are a few pointers that can help a person overcome this difficult situation without losing self-confidence. 
 
No self-blaming: Blaming self for someone’s poor self-esteem does no good. This is just an id, a profile or a login name that’s indulging in this act, without even knowing the victim. This is never about the victim! 
 
Don’t respond: Responding to cyberbullies only makes them stronger. Stay off from the temptation to post an acrimonious reply. It does no good. 
 
Inform elders: Time to tackle cyberbullying is when it enters your real life. If you suspect your friends are doing this, inform your parents and analyse the situation before jumping the gun. 
 
Complain, don’t put up with it: Make use of the legislation that exists. It is for your protection. 
 
Never about you: No matter how often this bully lands on your page, always remember it is NEVER about you. It is about him/her as a person. Sympathise and build your self-morale above that.

You Searched For "cyberbullying in adolescents" and got 12 results

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The world treated Britney Spears' mental health as a punchline. Things have changed for celebrities, but not for the better.

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How to take a break from social media and why it's so important, according to mental health experts

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Kat Tenbarge

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