A young dad shared the following image recently on an online forum:
He said his kids are not teenagers yet, but he was astonished at these increasingly alarming statistics and how future generations will become even more isolated and unhappy.
Parents on the forum went on to speculate whether this is due to social media, technology in general, or some other causes…
Or just due to increased awareness of the importance of mental health.
Through social media, kids are comparing themselves to influencers, celebrities, and their own friends’ “fake” social media lives.
They are not mature enough to understand that social media presents “highlight reels”, and not a true representation of someone’s life.
Due to games, interactive cartoons and other apps on their devices, they’re spending more time in front of their screens instead of playing outside in the sun and fresh air.
They’re not developing social skills and building real, meaningful friendships.
Another father on the same forum wrote, “I’m a paramedic, and we call Facebook (umbrella name for all social media) a teen suicide machine.”
As parents, we know that excessive screen time isn’t good for our kids…
And we’re fighting an uphill battle with “big tech” companies that are spending billions of dollars developing algorithms that are as addictive as humanly possible.
So, how can we battle them – if at all?
What can you, as a parent do, to make sure that your kids don’t become addicted to screens and waste their lives away?
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