My SD Moms Technology is something to embrace for sure, but one of the most negative associations we have with increasing technology is kids and smartphones.
When was the last time you saw or even knew of a youngster who didn’t have a smartphone? For that matter, when was the last time you saw a youngster not staring at their phone? Kids as young as 9 or 10 years old have the best and most current smartphones. They become an extension of themselves and are always within reaching distance of their phone. Other than the constant texting of friends, kids love to peruse social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram. Sites like these can be a fun distraction sometimes, but unfortunately for our kids it becomes an essential part of their lives. Every spare second they have is usually spent on social media sited on their phones. Is this something that we as parent’s need to be concerned with? This particular teenage girl would probably say yes.
Nina Langton had no right to be depressed. At least, that’s how she saw it. She had friends, lived in a great neighborhood, and was close with her parents. Like most 16-year-olds she spent much of her free time on her smartphone. Nina says, “Part of what made my depression so difficult was that I didn’t understand why I was feeling so sad.” After Nina’s attempted suicide, her and her therapist got to the root of her depression. Nina states – “I was spending a lot of time stalking models on Instagram, and I worried a lot about how I looked,” Nina would stay up late in her bedroom, looking at social media. Poor sleep along with an eating disorder—eventually caught up with Nina. She finally felt that suicide felt like her only option. “I didn’t totally want to be gone,” she says. “I just wanted help and didn’t know how else to get it.” Nina’s mom, Christine Langton, has a degree in public health and works at a children’s hospital. Despite her professional background, she says she was “completely caught off guard” by her daughter’s suicide attempt. “Nina was funny, athletic, smart, and personable. Christine said “Depression was just not on my radar.”
To read the rest of this article on Time.com – CLICK HERE.
