Seeing the extraordinary lives of others on Facebook and Instagram, our youth are taking more and more risks to be part of this league of “extraordinary” people doing “extraordinary” things.
I think it’s sad because there are young people who die trying to impress others.
I learned today that a young man from Quebec is in a critical condition after having fallen while practicing “free” climbing, probably to be like the extraordinary Alex Honnold.
Facebook can be a great tool to bring people together but Facebook can also be a poison.
The use of Facebook has been associated with depressive symptoms in young adults. By what mechanism does this effect occur? “Facebook envy” is one of the terms frequently used in the literature. Basically, an “ordinary” young person spends hours reading the extraordinary stories of his “friends” on Facebook and really finds his life dull… The end result is either the desire to become extra-ordinary himself by taking risks or a great depression.
During my career working in the emergency room, especially in the last 10 years, I’ve seen young people breaking bones by jumping off a roof with skis, even blowing their butts off with fireworks to impress their friends, generating cool videos to get some 👍 on the wall of their virtual social life.
Sit down with your teens and talk about it. Talk openly about the perverse but hidden effects of Instagram and Facebook. Being informed and aware is the first step.
Social networking is inevitable, but as with alcohol, moderation tastes much better.
Thank you
Martin Pham Dinh 