Since the invention of social media, youth around the world are feeling lonelier than ever before.
CDC surveys show 57 percent of teen girls are persistently sad or hopeless and almost 18 percent of youth considered suicide in the past year.
There is also a strong relationship between screen time and lack of sleep, thoughts of suicide and substance abuse.
Youth are resilient and can overcome mental health struggles, with the right resources and treatment.
That's where parents come in says Aimee Winder Newton, Senior Advisor to Governor Cox and Director of the Office of Families.
She says one of the best approaches to understanding the harms of social media is to have open and honest conversations.
To help facilitate those discussions, they've created a power point presentation that parents, teachers, youth group leaders, or others can use.
It has up-to-date stats, videos and more.
You can download it here.
Aimee also told us about other recommendations she has for parents to navigate our digital world.
- Wait as long as possible before you give your child access to a phone that has internet access or social media
- Reduce device time as much as possible
- Phones must be turned in to parents at 9 p.m. (or whatever time works best for your family)
- No phones are allowed in bedrooms or bathrooms
- Try a family detox!
You can learn more at socialharms.utah.gov.
