Teenagers may suffer 'Facebook depression,' warn doctors

The report titled, 'The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families' suggests that being socially rejected on a networking site is potentially more dangerous than being ignored in real-life.

Lead researcher Dr Gwenn O'Keeffe, a Boston-based paediatrician, said, “For some teens and tweens, social media is the primary way they interact socially, rather than at the mall or a friend's house.

"A large part of this generation's social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children's online world – and comfortably parent in that world.”

What is 'Facebook depression'?
Researchers have coined a new term, 'Facebook depression,' in which tweens and teens who may be at the risk of social isolation and poor self esteem spend a great deal of time on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and then become depressed.

The constant barrage of their peers' happy statuses, unending photo updates, and friend connections may present a skewed view of reality that could make at-risk kids feel that they don't measure up, the TIME reports.

Clearly, such “in-your-face revelation” might be disturbing for kids who are not mature enough to understand the importance of having real life friends than virtual friends online.

O'Keeffe said the Facebook depression can be more painful than sitting alone in a crowded school cafeteria or other real-life situation that can make kids feel down.

Abby Abolt, 16, a high school student from Chicago and a regular on social media, says the site has never made her feel depressed, but she can understand how it might affect others.

“If you really didn't have that many friends and weren't really doing much with your life, and saw other peoples' status updates and pictures and what they were doing with friends, I could see how that would make them upset,” she said.

“It's like a big popularity contest - who can get the most friend requests or get the most pictures tagged,” she added.

Social media sites an obsession among teens
According to a poll conducted by Common Sense Media in 2009, 22 percent of the teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents browse other networking sites more than once a day.

Seventy-five percent of teenagers today own cell phones, out of which 25 percent use them for social media, 54 percent use them for texting, and 24 percent use them for instant messaging, the journal 'Pediatrics' reports.

O'Keeffe added that social media has the power to 'interfere with homework, sleep and physical activity' among the young.

"We are acknowledging that this is a health issue — it isn't just a technology issue," O'Keeffe said.

Parent's vigilance important
Paediatricians further advise parents to keep a check on their kids' internet behavior, and understand that their kids' online lives are an extension of their offline lives.

They should also watch for cyberbullying, sexting, and inappropriate use of the internet by the teens.

"Parents have to get a handle on what their kids are doing online and offline, especially tweens and teens," because they have a limited ability for self-regulation and time management, she said.

But "parents also need to encourage their children to unplug from the online world and experience the real, unplugged one."