Nichole Schortmann

FRINQ
Final Essay
May 6th, 2016

Technology and Teens in Relation to Suicide and Overall Health

There is no doubt that technology has become one of the most talked about controversies
of the decade. Some say the benefits of technology do not outweigh the drawbacks, while others
say there are no drawbacks to technology at all. In a recent study it was found that teens spend a
total of nine hours a day on some kind of technology for enjoyment, not including the time they
spend on technology for school related purposes. A quote from chief executive officer and
founder of Common Sense Media named James Steyer stated, "It just shows you that these kids
live in this massive 24/7 digital media technology world, and it's shaping every aspect of their
life. They spend far more time with media technology than any other thing in their life. This is
the dominant intermediary in their life. (Wallace, 1). This shows the excessive amount of time
that teens are spending on thing such as social media, watching T.V, and playing games. In this
paper I will examine the effects of technology and social media on teens in relation to their
psychological thinking, social behaviors, and health.
It is hard to believe that just 10 years ago we did not have social media. Today there are
1.3 billion active Facebook users, 270 million people on Twitter producing 500 million tweets
per day. Each day 60 million photos are uploaded on Instagram, and 4 billion videos are viewed
on Youtube. The average person today has 5 social media accounts, and spends at least two hours

a day on any given account. That is 730 hours which comes out to a little over 12 whole days a
year.
First I will discuss the possible benefits that come from technology and social media. The
obvious benefits come from technological advances in medicine. The advances we have made in
healthcare have increased life expectancies enormously. Another advantage of technology comes
from within the classroom. While advantages in the classroom also bring about disadvantages.
Distractions from students being on their phones more than paying attention to the material being
taught in class. It is easier for students to access information about topics on the internet and
keeps them more intrigued than a textbook, providing they are looking up what they are
supposed to be. Social media refers to accounts such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. These
sites bring about many good things such as being able to connect with family and friends that do
not live close enough to see face to face. They also bring about opportunities to meet new people.
With that being said, the disadvantages are high. Social media is dangerous when not used
correctly and many teens do no use it in the right way. The amount of information that is put on
these type of sites makes it extremely easy for anybody to be found, stalked, etc. Another
disadvantage of social media is the amount go negativity that is associated with it. Many people
use this as an outlet to be rude to others because it is not in person conversation. These sites have
great effect on the youths self esteem.
There is an increasing evidence that social media and the internet can influence suiciderelated behavior. Suicide related behavior includes; giving away belongings, losing interest in
activities that they used to enjoy, having trouble in school or work suddenly, changing in sleeping
and eating habits, etc. Social media is used for people to communicate without having to be face
to face. Therefor many people will say and do things over social media that they would not do in

person. In many cases social media is used as an outlet for bullying because kids think that they
will not have to take accountability for their actions because the bullying is not face to face
therefor it is not as serious. While discussing the increase in suicide and social media Julie states,
Reporter Julie Scelfo widens the storys lens to student suicides across America, and finds a
cruder explanation for their cause: Social media. Scelfo notes that the suicide rate among 15- to
24-year-olds has increased modestly but steadily in recent years, from 9.6 deaths per 100,000
people in 2007 to 11.1 in 2013. Also rising: Use of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. This
shows a direct correlation between the increase of social media use along with the increase in
suicides among people ages 15 to 24, the primary age for individuals using social media.
Many adolescents live their life through social media and remain disconnected to the real
world. Almost as if they are living a fantasy life rather than being in the real world. In an article
discussing suicide and social media Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and a member of Fox News
Medical Team says, This substitution of media for real meaning has not only been shown to
weaken their self-esteem and their ability to sustain themselves through adversity, but it can
cheapen the value they assign to life in general including their own lives. If all the world is a
stage of pixels, and young people see themselves as their tweets and Snapchat photos, then
taking a fist-full of pills could seem like no more than the equivalent of shutting down a
Facebook account or turning off an iPhone. Call it, Suicide by Social Media (Ablow, 1). This
proves that the kids who are choosing to live their life through social media rather than face to
face interactions are not only weakening their self esteem but weakening their meaning of life as
a whole. Another statement made by Dr. Ablow reads, This is one reason, by the way, that drugs
like heroin are rampant. Heroin kills real feelings. And young people are, increasingly, strangers

to dealing with real feelings. Heroin is just the powdered equivalent of text messaging, YouTube,
Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the technology drugs Americans especially American teen
are mainlining every single day (Ablow, 2). This is a powerful statement because it relates
social media to drugs and the effects that drugs have on the people that use them. Social media is
addictive, and the effects of it can leave people feeling lifeless and feeling psychological pain.
Portlands suicide rate is higher than the Nations as a whole. Every four days, someone in
Portland dies from suicide. An average of 7.5 suicides a month. In an article discussing suicide
rates in Portland the author states, The report, compiled by the Portland Police Bureau's
Behavioral Health Unit, claims 202 people killed themselves in Portland from April, 2011 to
June, 2013. That's almost three times the national rate in 2010, the most recent year available,
according to the report (Stabler, 1). This shows that Suicide in Portland is a large problem, and
commonly goes unnoticed and un-talked about. Many studies have been done to figure out why
suicide in the West is more common than any other place in the United States. Studies have
found that in 2011 76 perfect of deaths in Oregon were from a gun. Access to guns is a big factor
because the gun laws in the west are less strict than in other places. New York has the most
restrictive gun laws in the Nation and is ranked 50th in suicide rates. Geography also takes a part
in suicide. Suicide risk is higher in rural areas, studies have shown that there is less access to
mental healthcare facilities here in the west. 80 perfect of suicides are committed by men.
This generation of teenagers is the first to grow up in the United States having never seen
a world without texting, social media, and other similar forms of online communications. Recent
studies have linked social media use to depression in adolescents. In the study it was found that
many people compare themselves and their lives to the people they follow or are friends with.

They begin to think that their life is not as rich as someone elses. While depression is not only
related to ones emotions, studies working with youth have shown that depression often comes
with a lowered sense of self-esteem and self-knowledge. When youth base their identity on what
others perceive, they develop a twisted version of their own worth, value, and capacity to be
loved. Since many teens do not really know who they are yet this leaves them extremely
vulnerable, it causes them to look at social media for self validation.
It is always said that social media has a great impact in creating relationships, but it is
also found that it could have an impact on ruining them as well. In a study comparing divorce
rates to social media enrollment this was stated, The state analyses found that a 20 percent
annual increase in Facebook enrollment was associated with anywhere from a 2.18 percent to a
4.32 percent increase in divorce rates depending on the model used. Similarly, the model from
individual survey results predicts that someone who does not use social media is over 11 percent
happier in his or her marriage than a heavy social media user (Rosenfeld, 1). Although this does
not prove that enrollment in social media was the direct cause it does show a direct correlation.
Individuals in these problematic relationships may be turning to social media as a support
system, also using it as an outlet to see what their significant other or ex significant other is
doing without direct contact. Social media also gives you easy access to other people, making
infidelity easier and more common.
Personally, I do believe that social media has a direct correlation to depression in teens
and adolescents. I have experienced the feeling first hand. Social media did not cause my
depression but was a direct factor in supporting the depression and letting it linger. Constantly
checking social media accounts and trying to keep up with people over the internet that you no
longer keep up with in everyday life is not healthy. Social media makes it extremely difficult to

let go of past relationships, friendships, issues, etc because that person is at the tip of your
finger.. literally. I have gone through periods of time in life with social media and without. I can
honestly say that I am happier without it than I am with it, to me social media brings about
negativity and a constant need for validation through likes and retweets, etc. Without social
media I am forced to live within the moment, instead of taking a picture with my phone to post I
take a mental picture with my mind and savor the moment. Without it you are forced to build
relationships in person rather than through a screen, those relationships are proven to last longer
and be of better quality than those manifested through a device.
With the amount of time teens are spending on mobile devices they are spending less and
less time outside and less time getting physical activity. Exercise is essential for living a healthy
life. It is not only good for the body, but it is good for the mind as well. It helps clear ones head
and helps to focus on the more important things in life and not focus on the problems. It is a
stress reliever. The population of obese children has tripled in the last 40 years. Since teens spend
an average of 2 hours or more a day on social media accounts that is two hours they could be
spending outside getting physical activity, this includes technological usage of watching tv and
sites such as Netflix. Childhood obesity is rising rapidly along with the increase in technological
use. While watching T.V and on social media sites kids are also exposed to an enormous amount
of advertisement everyday. Many of those advertisements being commercials for fast food
companies or unhealthy foods increasing their desire to have it. People are also more likely to
snack while watching programs and on their devices because they believe they are entertained
but they are actually bored so they compensate for eating to entertain them. Technology use also
interferes with usual sleep patterns and sleep regulation does effect weight.

In conclusion, technological advancements have brought many positive things and

created productive movements. It has also brought setbacks and created issues that are not
looked at or discussed much. Teens these days spend an average of two or more hours on any
given social media account, adding up to 12 days a year. Social media has been directly
correlated with rising suicide rates, and rising rates of depression in teens. As well as rising rates
of divorce in adults. Teens that use social media are more likely to show symptoms of mental
illness. Technology use is also directly linked to sleep deprivation in young adults and teens
which is related to poor health, bad grades, and lack of motivation. Social media also has some
positive outcomes as well. It allows people to reach out to family and friends that they would not
be able to communicate or keep up with anyway else, it also is an outlet to meet new people and
put yourself out there. Social media has many positive influences on businesses and allowing
people to create their own businesses and get their product to a broader audience. Technology
and social media will always be controversial. But they are directly related to poorer mental
health and suicide in teens and young adults.

Bibliography
Ablow, Dr. Keith. "Is Social Media Fueling a National Epidemic of Teen Suicide? | Fox News."
Fox News. FOX News Network, 11 Feb. 2016. Web.

David Stabler | Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive. "Portland's Suicide Rate Higher than the
Nation." OregonLive.com. N.p., 30 Sept. 2013. Web.

Liu, Steven. "Social Media and Depression - Culture and Youth Studies." Culture and Youth
Studies. N.p., 26 Aug. 2015. Web.

Rosenfeld, Everett. "Social Networking Linked to Divorce." CNBC. N.p., 08 July 2014. Web.

Wallace, Kelly. "Teens Spend 9 Hours a Day Using Media, Report Says." CNN. Cable News
Network, n.d. Web.

"Children, Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media." Table of Contents. N.p., n.d. Web.