Young people – A University of Oxford study released this week strongly suggests that the negative role of social media in young people’s mental health has been overplayed.
The significant impact many have assumed is almost non-existent – so what really matters when it comes to young people’s mental health?
Like lots of things to do with mental health, it turns out the prevailing wisdom isn’t a true reflection of what’s actually going on. However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock was quick to call out social media companies for their connection to poor mental health.
But he made little or no mention of a much larger and more significant issue: the reason why young people are suffering from mental illness and looking online for images of self-harm, information on suicide and other harmful behaviours.
The statistics around young people’s mental health and the increasing incidences of anxiety, depression and disorders are well known and accepted. There is no debate: we are in a crisis.
At the same time, use of social media has sky-rocked amongst young people with various scare-stories hitting the press weekly. So for a politician to start blaming social media for poor mental health seems logical…right?
After all, so much of our lives can be played out online that the connection between how we feel about ourselves and our activities on social media would seem to be obvious.
“We are seeing more and more evidence that children using social media sites for hours on end each day is having a detrimental impact on their mental health…” said the UK Health Secretary.
However, the evidence suggests that this isn’t the case – social media has a “tiny” impact on mental health. So what really does impact young person’s mental health?
With politicians characterising the mental health crisis as being driven by social media, it’s easy to accept this view as it’s impossible the two have no connection, but the truth is that the government has this the wrong way round.
They’re blaming the egg for the chicken’s behaviour.
Here are some factors that really do impact negatively on a typical young person’s mental health:
- Not understanding how their mental health works. Sometimes, when a young person encounters a typical life event such as some difficult teenage emotions, stress over exams, new school year or relationship difficulties, they don’t possess the perspective, coping skills and resilience to deal with the situation in a positive way. This can and often does lead to long-term poor mental health. However, these skills can be learnt, which is great news as these are critical for good mental health at all ages.
- Feeling out of control or unable to influence outcomes in their life. When someone, anyone, feels out of control in a particular aspect of their life, this often leads to feelings of stress and anxiety. This is particularly true for someone starting school, learning a new subject or facing exams. No matter how much they’d like to be in control of their lives at school or college, the daily routine is not theirs to decide and so a conflict between control they have and their desire for control emerges. This conflict can often manifest itself as stress and anxiety, something that impacts a lot of young people.
- Developing a highly external locus of control. Broadly, locus of control describes how we view the world from our own perspective: do you perceive that the world is a collection of external forces that you have no control over, or are you in control of how you go through life and the various factors that can influence your wellbeing? A young person with a very external locus of control may well turn to social media for validation and comfort, but this is the symptom and not the cause.
If you know a young person suffering from poor mental health, what can you do to help?
Our specialist, non-medicalised young person’s course has been used worldwide for several years with great success in helping children from about age eight to late teens overcome issues such as depression, anxiety, phobias and disorders. It’s the best go-to option for helping any young person, no matter their background or level of education, improve their mental health.
Available in book form or one-to-one with a Thrive Programme Coach®, the Thrive Programme course takes just a few weeks and is a highly effective way of teaching a young person how to be mentally healthy without the use of medication or therapy. Everything is easy-to-understand, straight-forward and backed by research and evidence.
Contact us today or message the team on Facebook to learn more and sign up for a free initial consultation.Young people
