The other day I was on a plane sitting next to a YouTube employee and we discussed that we both noticed that teens and young adults are posting more often about mental health issues. The woman told me that many famous YouTubers are talking about their own mental health challenges. For instance, YouTuber Lacie Green, talked about her own depression in this courageous video. The site The Mighty is also a great resource.
This made me think about my own two teens who both have rich emotional lives—full of ups and downs (like most of us on this planet). From this conversation I realized I wanted to talk more with them about how they and their friends communicate on social media and via text about their mental health. What do they find helpful and what is not helpful?
For Tech Talk Tuesday this week let’s talk about how we use social media to discuss, learn or share emotional issues:
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
The other day I was on a plane sitting next to a YouTube employee and we discussed that we both noticed that teens and young adults are posting more often about mental health issues. The woman told me that many famous YouTubers are talking about their own mental health challenges. For instance, YouTuber Lacie Green, talked about her own depression in this courageous video. The site The Mighty is also a great resource.
This made me think about my own two teens who both have rich emotional lives—full of ups and downs (like most of us on this planet). From this conversation I realized I wanted to talk more with them about how they and their friends communicate on social media and via text about their mental health. What do they find helpful and what is not helpful?
For Tech Talk Tuesday this week let’s talk about how we use social media to discuss, learn or share emotional issues:
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
In my latest Podcast, How Screens Trap Teens in Depression, I speak with Jean Twenge, PhD, a highly regarded psychologist and researcher known for her critical work on the impact of screen time on today’s youth. Our conversation explored the relationship between digital technology use, specifically social media and gaming, and teen mental health trends. Today I'm sharing a snippet of my conversation with Twenge related to boys, depression, and video gaming.
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Today, I offer teachings about personality disorders. As a parent, I strongly believe that talking with our teens about mental health is important, and one such area is the topic of personality disorders (PDs). Also, you might be co-parenting with a person who has some degree of a personality disorder, which can be very challenging.
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Our latest podcast features social psychologist and best-selling author Jonathan Haidt, discussing his book "The Anxious Generation." Haidt, a New York University professor and "Let Grow" co-founder, talks about the impact of social media and smartphones on the sharp rise of anxiety in youth since their introduction. For today’s blog, I have chosen a section of the podcast that I think you will find insightful.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
