Social media has often been blamed for contributing to feelings of depression and anxiety among its young users, but for some anxious teens, it may actually be the cure.
Psychologists are encouraging teens struggling with anxiety to become more active on social media, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to those experts, teens who resist engaging with social media due to feelings of anxiety may actually be threatening their mental and emotional wellbeing by missing out on important opportunities for social interaction.
“You miss out on conversations, on invitations or knowing what’s going on on the weekend,” said Lauren Hoffman, a clinical psychologist at the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders. “This is how teenagers are communicating.”
In order to help anxious teens overcome some of their social and social media related anxiety, psychologists have designed workshops and practices to help teens refine their social media skills. Psychologists working with kids at a week-long boot camp at the Child Mind Institute in New York over the summer learned to initiate texts, speak up in group chats and conquer anxieties related to posting on social media platforms like Instagram.
Anxious children and teens can find engaging on social platforms overwhelming. “They are typically falling into thinking traps, or worst-case scenarios, ‘they are going to think I’m weird or this is going to sound really pushy,’” said psychologist Amanda Mintzer. These mental health programs can help teens overcome anxieties related to social media and technology that may be preventing them from forming the kinds of healthy relationships and social interactions necessary to mental and emotional wellbeing and fulfillment.
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Meet your guide
More Like This
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
