Excessive social media use has been linked to depression and anxiety among teenagers. Data from more than 40,000 American children suggests that young people who spend seven hours or more a day looking at screens are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety than those who use screens for just an hour a day. Virtual connections, as Dr. Zaidi reminds us, are frequently devoid of eye-to-eye contact, and “human interaction is essential in building empathy and compassion”, a life skill that she believes is imperative to promote and preserve in our teens. But we are finding that some teenagers are realizing this and beginning to shun social media.
For more information on this study, a teenager’s view on the matter, as well as MindnLife’s own Dr Zaidi’s opinions, you can read the full article in the South China Morning Post here.
Dr. Quratulain Zaidi (BSc. Hons, MSc, MSc, PhD) is a mother and a member of the British Psychological Society and British Association Counselling & Psychotherapy and abides by the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychology. She has lived in Hong Kong and Singapore for 12 years. She specialises in assisting families with issues including parenting, teen issues, Cybersafety, marriage guidance, post natal depression, stress and anxiety disorders, depression, bullying, eating disorders, OCD and self-harm. She is an expert in educational assessments and learning challenges in children, for example ADHD, ADD, Dyslexia and ASD.
