The Tragedy of Teen Girls, Blindsided and Dumb, to Social Media Alarm Bells But What Can We Do?
If someone was literally hurting your kids — or making them hurt each other, even if they didn’t want to — what would you do? That is exactly what is happening here. Social Media is Destroying a Generation of Young People, Especially Women
Once again, the public is paying attention to frantic red flags while the sirens are wailing about the attack of social media against teenage girls in particular. Alarm bells are sounding again for parents and psychologists even though they have heard about this effect of too much internet interaction with the Selfie mindset since 2009 when Selfies became the norm and young girls began a competitive ritual to be the most liked, the hottest, the sexiest. The powers that set the algorithm early was to appeal to the male adult gaze.
Hear the newest public commentators below.
The tragic reality is that for the first time society is now paying the price for a generation of young women who have been objectified, scarred, under the pressure to play the game confirming to the hypersexualized beauty standards on Social Media. Hence, the ideal Bachelorettes have a stable of ideal would-be husbands and the Housewives flaunt reality shows with flagrant dramas of wealthy happiness formulas.
Sadly, there is only one group who doesn’t participate in hearing the sorrow and outrage … the innocent victims; namely, the teen girls themselves. Their young adolescent brains haven’t yet developed the frontal cortex connections for deductive thinking and judgment skills based on a maturity level that happens in the early 20’s. Their teen years are prone to learning new experiences often determined by peer pressure. There are no early warning educational programs how to handle this circus.
They are blindsided by seeking their own rewards hour after hour on their cellphones to be worthy of attention to look, dress, and act as implicitly directed or suffer ostracism and depression.
They are dumb to voice their comprehension of reality whether it is real or fake. In their curious innocence they are still learning what works and what doesn’t and that gadget attached to their hand shows what is to be liked and what to ridicule and hate. They do not write about their short time line or how a wrong choice today may derail their future.
They are the innocent lambs led to algorithm slaughter to be a somebody to worship celebrity status regardless of morality. They are the perfect prey to groom without feedback.
But Society knows the facts for a few years now.
The newest teen mental health problems research shows:
- Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated.
- Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15–19-year-olds.
- The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.
Society may not quite know what to do
There is no denying that social media is not innocent enough but only if skinny girls are preferred with perfect complexion and popular cosmetics, fashions and followers. The old Selfie mindset immersion is now filtering through new families now.
There is no denying the power of the internet with influencers like Emma Chamberlain, whose occupation is listed as a vlogger and YouTuber. Born in 2001, she is 20 years old, with 10.7 million followers and 1.4 billion views. A perfect internet persona; thin, pretty, petite nose, oval face and large eyes who started posting videos as a way of escaping from depression in high school, now sporting a clothing line, online mail order company whose financial worth is estimated at 8 million dollars.
Not to sidestep the influential bodily enhancements of the K family for 20 years.
But about educational value and self-redemption potential?
Social Media has created the mess that only it can fix
Two possible ideas:
ONE: Start a reality show about teens and their troubles and relationships including drug abuse online.
What teens really need is to go beyond what adults tell them and become actively involved as peer spokespeople and practice scenarios where they can learn to say no. They need to relate to stories of interpersonal skills with normal social interaction over long term.
What more inclusive way, other than first person participation, to watch and relate to a TV reality show about teens, their struggles and redemptions on their favorite mediums?
TWO: Create and popularize a heroine as a short story with an overview of consequences and morals to serve as a real rebuttal to Selfies?
Set a personal narrative obsessed with cell phone Selfies and facing an antagonist of epic proportions to a rash and bash adolescent brain with the theme that is it is not the teenager’s fault where offline time becomes far more important than online with the superpower tool.
Who will write such a story or is there a draft already done looking for a super influencer who cares about children and young women?
Questions and comments are always welcome. Note several related articles in index below.
Annemarie Berukoff
Hear the newest commentators directly:
Facebook recognizes how harmful its photo-sharing app, Instagram, can be for teen girls’ self-esteem, according to company documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal. | Fox Business
What Can Facebook Do To Make Instagram less Toxic for Teen Girls
Stunning New Facts about Mental Health Conditions among Teenagers from Who World Health
Index for Timely Tale for Teen Girls Struggles, Regrets and Survival on Social Media
