Title: Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Teen Suicide
Headings: Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Teen Suicide
Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Teen Suicide
The Impact of Social Media on Teens
Warning Signs of Depression
How You Can Help Prevent Teen Suicide
Burnout, Loss, and Suicide Prevention
Allie Squires

Content: Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Teen Suicide
Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Teen Suicide
The suicide rate for children and teens is rising. According to a September 2020 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the suicide rate for pediatric patients rose 57.4% from 2007 to 2018. It is the second largest cause of death in children, falling short only of accidents. Here we’ll explore possible causes for this increase, including why social media may not be a viable cause, and outline the resources available both for families and for the healthcare professionals caring for them. The Impact of Social Media on Teens
When seeking reasons for adolescent suicide, it’s tempting to place blame on social media -- it is, after all, an all-encompassing medium for communication, entertainment, and creativity that many parents (and pediatricians) didn’t experience for themselves as teens. Some parents and experts have suggested that using social media exposes kids to cyberbullying, soaring standards of beauty and performance, and peer pressure, not to mention the physical effects of sacrificing sleep and exercise that can lead to poor mental health or exacerbate an existing mental health condition. These negative effects are indeed possible and not uncommon in adolescents, but it’s important to note that these effects change when you examine how a child is using social media, and how often. Teens in the U.S. who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media may be at a heightened risk for mental health issues, according to a 2019 study in JAMA Psychiatry. The study, which was adjusted for previous mental health diagnoses, concludes that while adolescents using social media more intensively have increased risk of internalizing problems or reporting mental health concerns, more research is needed on “whether setting limits on daily social media use, increasing media literacy, and redesigning social media platforms are effective means of reducing the burden of mental health problems in this population.” Therefore, since we cannot effectively quantify whether spending more time on social media is worse for teens’ mental health, whether it can be used as a positive or negative coping mechanism for existing mental health conditions, or even whether increasing media literacy nullifies the negative effects observed in adolescents, experts say that there is not enough evidence to support social media use as a factor in adolescent suicide.