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Advocacy Teen
Depression and the Internet -- Cause and Effect? I heard of a study done which shows there is a connection between teen depression and time spent in the Internet. The study said that the more time teen's spent on the net, the more likely they were to be depressed. So the conclusion was that parents should keep their teens from spending so long online. This seems to me to be similar to saying that people who spend more time in the hospital are more likely to be sick, therefore you should try to avoid going to the hospital. In other words, the cause and effect seem to be reversed. Based on our 10+ years of work with depressed teens, we find that they turn to the net when their emotional needs are not being met. The Internet becomes their lifeline. Their source of connection, support and sometimes, understanding. One teen told us that EQI.org saved her life because it helped her understand and accept herself. Another young adult said EQI. was the only thing that made sense when he was depressed as a teen. Instead of banning teens from the net, as some over-controlling, though perhaps well-intentioned parents have done, it is more helpful to encourage teens to use the net as a helpful resource, just as it is for adults. The report, though, suggests just the opposite. The article about the study also quotes someone who says parents should keep the Internet out of children's bedrooms. First, I dislike calling teenagers "children". This devalues them, their feelings and their intelligence. Second, one reason teens get depressed and look to the Internet for support and resources is because they are already over-controlled and deprived of the privacy they need. These suggestions, then, simply will make life more painful for them. S. Hein
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Other EQI.org Topics: Emotional Intelligence | Empathy |
| To find articles on this study search "teen depression linked to internet time" |