KSHB 41: Local health experts confront social media's effect on teen mental wellbeing
By Dan Cohen
The recent testimony before Congress by a whistleblower from Facebook on the company's practices, algorithms and applications - like Instagram - has put the effects of social media on teenage mental health back in the spotlight.
KSHB 41 spoke to Dr. Ram Chettiar, a child and adolescent psychologist with Children’s Mercy about the recent trends.
He said that in addition to seeing recent rising incidences of depression and anxiety, he's been confronting screen time/social media use for a decade.
"Teenagers these days are not getting that connection like they used to in previous generations," Dr. Chettiar said. "So, even though they're connected, they're very lonely. We're seeing these curated posts that everyone is putting up with the filters and the exciting things, and it creates a lot of FOMO, which is a fear of missing out, that can contribute to symptoms of anxiety, where kids feel like their lives are not as exciting. They feel left out, It can contribute to lower self-esteem."
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Learn more about Mental Health in Children and Adolescents