Time Reports:
Quick Summary
Technology has transformed how friendships play out. Social media intensifies the burdens that come along with being a good friend. Too often, these dynamics hit teens hard in ways that are lost on adults. We need that to change.
Key Points
- Public health data signals a genuine crisis in adolescent mental health.
- Social media networks are ever-expanding because there’s a sense that being “nice” means by default accepting follow requests from acquaintances and friends-of-friends.
- The result can be overwhelming for adolescents whose developmental sensitivities drive them to care deeply about what their peers are doing and thinking.
- Teens describe significant stress that comes with trying to be a “good friend” in the age of social media.
- Teens also bear the burden of bearing constant witness to peers’ mental health struggles on social media.
The article states:
Above all, encourage teens not to just scroll on or struggle in silence. Especially for kind and sensitive kids, the burden can be heavy. They shouldn’t bear this load alone. Nor should they put aside their own needs for sleep, joy, and other essentials. So teens who are supporting fragile friends may need guidance in setting boundaries that respect their friendships and themselves.