Project 1
Today’s generation is known as the Internet generation, iGen, or Generation Z. This means that children born during this time have more access to social gatherings, while not being present, at the touch of their fingertips; for example, having a college course online, with never seeing your instructor or classmates. With the growing population of smartphones and wireless devices, comes more isolation, depression, and higher rates of anxiety, and ultimately suicide, than the generation that came before them, known as Millennials. It can be proven that the use of smartphones and other devices is the most likely cause associated with the recent increases in mental health among teens since 2012 (Pantic, 2014, p. 1). With the mental health challenges of the youth of today comes the harsh reality of low self-esteem, isolation, and then suicide; and it’s not just the youth who are affected by social media norms, even adults fall victim to its games or conceptions and the portrayal of today’s expected beauty standards. There are some solutions to help solve the social media suicide epidemic though, and many stem from already being in an online platform with things such as online counseling and support groups with education and developed family media plans.
The emergence and rapid growth of the digital world and its technological tools have had a tremendous influence on people’s lives. In the United States alone, we have a population of 334,149,126 people recorded in 2022 (World Internet Users Statistics and 2023 World Population Stats, 2024, p.1), and that number grows every day. Of that population in North America, there are around 312,320,000 internet users as of March 2022 (p.1). The sheer number of people accessing the online platforms, it only makes sense to be able to reach out to those who might require someone to talk to about their suicidal thoughts. One of the most popular outreach programs geared towards mobile internet users is SAMHSA, (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 2023, p.1) or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. They are designed to provide information for the public and individuals dealing with suicidal tendencies, simply by dialing 988 by phone or text (12 things you should know before calling the 988-suicide hotline, 2022, p.1). When you call 988, you’ll hear an automated greeting that lists different options, including a connection to the Veterans Crisis Line (press 1), Spanish-language services (press 2), and even a service for LGBTQ people under 25 (press 3) (p.1). If you press one of those three numbers, you will be transferred to a specific crisis line that caters to that group of people; all other calls will be routed to the nearest crisis center based on your area code (p. 1). Using technology is one solution to the crisis.
However, there are also internet websites that could negatively influence suicide instead of helping. The negative consequences of Internet use often sometimes go hand in hand with social and risk-behavioral problems (Davis et al, 2002, p. 331-345). Research shows that adolescents who are susceptible to social exclusion, bully victimization, and substance abuse may utilize the internet as a coping mechanism, in an attempt to relieve stress (p. 331-345). It is under such conditions that adolescents become the most vulnerable to incipient online risks, including cyber-bullying, pathological internet use, pro-suicide websites, facilitation of suicide pacts, and expedition of suicidal methods (Guan & Subrahmanyam, 2009, p. 22) (Szumilas & Kutcher (200, p. 596-604). As the number of Internet users continues to rise, the probability/reality of Internet-related suicide risks is increasing, as well.
Limiting screen time and requiring open family communication are other solutions. The way we use the internet and social media today is radically different than it was just forty years ago, resulting in very different ideas of acceptable amounts of screen time. For example, in 1970, children began to regularly watch TV at 4 years of age, whereas today, children begin interacting with digital media at 4 months of age (Reid Chassiakos et al, 2016, p. 596-604). Parents and caregivers alike can make a difference in social media/TV times by implementing something called, A Healthy Family Media Use Plan that is individualized for a specific child, teenager, or family can identify an appropriate balance between screen time/online time and other activities, set boundaries for accessing content, guide displays of personal information, encourage age-appropriate critical thinking and digital literacy, and support open family communication and implementation of consistent rules about media use (2016, p. 596-604). With more open family communication and screen time rules, we will generate children who are more adept in social situations, can work through and solve problems independently, implement the use of critical thinking, and will generally be able to maneuver the world more successfully.
While the people of our world are now living in a more modern and high-tech age where it seems that we do everything at the touch of our fingers on our mobile devices, it is more pertinent now than ever to have a way for individuals to cope with their ever-growing feelings of depression and suicidal tendencies. With the help of mobile phones and anonymous call lines and implemented family screen/phone time plans, we may slow down the untimely end of an innocent person’s life and let them know that every life is worth living.