Facebook Depression?
By: Katie Romano, Fort Myers Hypnotist, Life Coach, LPN
Two things grabbed my attention this morning: 1) An article by the Chicago Tribune cautioning parents about how Facebook is causing depression in teens, and 2) A Fort Myers Teen Makes National News for beating her mother with a gun because she wanted her mother to buy her a car.
My initial reaction was, “Has the world gone mad?” I mean seriously how does Facebook cause depression, and why on earth would an Ivy League-bound teen hold her mother at gun point? How does this happen and what can we as responsible adults do to stop the insanity?
Anatomy of the Teen Socialization Disaster.
Understanding the pieces and parts of a machine is always one of the first steps in understanding how the parts work together to make in functional. So what are the pieces and parts that make up a teen’s life in America today? What have hours of television, Internet, and video games to do with their development?
I used to think that extremists who protested violent games, explicit TV shows, and controversial lyrics were total nut bars. Now I’m not so sure. While I completely disagree with censorship, based on what I now know about the subconscious mind, I do believe there is some merit to being selective in what we subject our minds and those of our children to as well as how easy their access to technology should be, and here’s why:
Based on the “Theory of Mind” by Dr. John Kappas,
“The conscious mind becomes overloaded with “message units” that it is bombarded with from a person’s internal and external environment. When that overload happens, the conscious mind moves into a state of abeyance and all of the environmental information moves straight into the sub-conscious becoming “knowns” or pathways of recognizable thoughts, actions and behaviors. Most teens have an under-developed conscious mind filter already. Hours of Internet surfing and violent video games break down the delicate filter leading to information flowing directly into the subconscious. Translation: The mind has no idea that what’s on the screen is any different that what happens in every day life, so violent games = potential violent behavior, or at the very least, a maladaptive moral compass and warped sense of reality.
Maslow’s Basics.
Not satisfied with the subconscious theory? American Psychologist Abraham Maslow defines the needs of humans in his “Hierarchy of Needs” pyramid.
The basic concept is that the higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus once all the needs that are lower down in the pyramid are mainly or entirely satisfied. The first level is physiological: Food, Water, Sleep, etc. Culturally, teens have the worst diets, rarely drink water, and may or may not have been sleeping adequately. This means the very base of their development is already shaky.
For teens with great diets who do have their first level needs met: Maslow addresses the need for safety: safety from violence, delinquency, aggression. Here’s where things get very interesting. Our youth are growing in an age of not only school yard bullies–who may also be toting guns–but also cyber bulling. Smart phones can be just as dangerous as a loaded gun. One false step, word–or unguarded private moment– even in a restroom, or a locker room can turn into a global broadcast if a crafty classmate is armed with their phone. Would you feel safe? I would wager then that most teens don’t make it past level two to developing their center of self, making the higher levels of development socially, morally, spiritually and intellectually virtually impossible.
Based on Erickson’s Stages of Development:
from ages 12-18 we attempt to find our own identity, struggle with social interactions, and grapple with moral issues. The Tribune article, “With in-your-face friends’ tallies, status updates and photos of happy-looking people having great times, Facebook pages can make some kids feel even worse if they think they don’t measure up.” Furthermore, instant access to social media means that social ostracism can continue through global communication vehicles, not just cafeteria gossip. Spice up this new level of adolescent misery with a dash of television series’ heralding the triumphs of morally challenged promiscuous (and sometimes drunk/drugged-out teens) a-la “Gossip Girl” style and you have a recipe for serious internal conflict.
Building a Better Future.
You won’t see me on the picket lines stomping on any artist’s freedom of expression; but you will find me shutting off my TV, monitoring what my kids watch and play, limiting my boys’ Internet access, and restricting cell phone use. We have dinner together as a family almost every night, something experts extol as a lynchpin in developing an ongoing relationship with a child. Much to my tween’s dismay, we also have family meetings, we play games they like with them so we know what they’re doing and can meet them on their level. We encourage our children to talk about their feelings, and we feed them massive quantities of greens while restricting potentially mood altering substances like sugar and processed foods. As for video games, let’s just say that more than 15 minutes is too much at my house as far as I’m concerned.
Each adult in a family has to decide what’s right for their child and each child will have his or her own threshold for certain types of stimuli. The best person to help you or someone you love figure out how best to keep a child on the right track is your family doctor, counselor, minister, or other close family professional. So get talking, and maybe turn off the electronics for some uninterrupted family time this week. Together we can change our country’s culture, one home, one child, one mind at a time.
Good luck and keep me posted. Feel free to call my office at Lotus Blossom Clinic in Fort Myers at: 239-277-1399 with questions.
Sincerely,
Katie Romano, Fort Myers Hypnotist, Life Coach, LPN
