Facebook Can Make Girls Feel Depressed and Miserable
According to American psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax, the more time a girl spends on Facebook, the higher her chances of feeling depressed.
He told AdelaideNow, "Girls post the happy things and they turn the camera on themselves so it's 'look here at what I'm doing'. [...] Then they look at all the other girls' Facebook pages, look at them being happy and think 'my life sucks, look at all the things those girls are doing and how much fun they're having.'"
Photo Credit: RekindleMag
Sax followed up that teenage girls, unlike adults, tend to compare themselves with what they see on the computer screen as they struggle to realize that most people just tend to make themselves look good online. Also, he shared that spending too much time on Facebook with mere acquaintances tend to take a girl away from building strong relationships offline, which can then make her lose the ability to nurture close friendships.
So how can we fix this? Well, Dr. Sax recommends that parents need to limit time their girls spend on Facebook to just 20 to 30 minutes a day. Likewise, he said that parents need to know everything their children are doing on their laptop.
TP Thoughts:
Now, I'm not an expert like Dr. Sax and neither do I have a daughter, but I think more than strictly monitoring their girls' time on Facebook and constantly checking their kids' activities on the site, parents should just make sure that they raise their daughters to be confident and self-assured individuals.
I think the urge to compare oneself to another is part of our nature as human beings - and really, if we're not careful or vigilant enough, it can lead to depression - but if we (regardless of gender) are raised in an environment that constantly reinforces the fact that we are special and amazing no matter what then we'll be more prepared to counter its ill-effects.
He told AdelaideNow, "Girls post the happy things and they turn the camera on themselves so it's 'look here at what I'm doing'. [...] Then they look at all the other girls' Facebook pages, look at them being happy and think 'my life sucks, look at all the things those girls are doing and how much fun they're having.'"
Photo Credit: RekindleMag
Sax followed up that teenage girls, unlike adults, tend to compare themselves with what they see on the computer screen as they struggle to realize that most people just tend to make themselves look good online. Also, he shared that spending too much time on Facebook with mere acquaintances tend to take a girl away from building strong relationships offline, which can then make her lose the ability to nurture close friendships.
So how can we fix this? Well, Dr. Sax recommends that parents need to limit time their girls spend on Facebook to just 20 to 30 minutes a day. Likewise, he said that parents need to know everything their children are doing on their laptop.
TP Thoughts:
Now, I'm not an expert like Dr. Sax and neither do I have a daughter, but I think more than strictly monitoring their girls' time on Facebook and constantly checking their kids' activities on the site, parents should just make sure that they raise their daughters to be confident and self-assured individuals.
I think the urge to compare oneself to another is part of our nature as human beings - and really, if we're not careful or vigilant enough, it can lead to depression - but if we (regardless of gender) are raised in an environment that constantly reinforces the fact that we are special and amazing no matter what then we'll be more prepared to counter its ill-effects.
.jpg)
No comments:
Let me know your thoughts on this TechPinas article.