The way to cure depression is by not focusing on yourself and instead maybe doing nice things for other people. Like holding a spot for a friend or helping your teacher out or helping an elderly person carry something heavy. Because, and studies have proven, that when you do something nice for someone and they express their gratitude, your dopamine levels rise, making you feel happy and good about yourself. And when this happens and you do it enough, you can start to feel like you have a purpose in this world.
The wrong thing to do is constantly remind students about depression. It’s good that they’re asking if we’re OK, but the schools are overdoing it, in my opinion. Before we do any of these surveys or have assemblies addressing the rising suicides in our age group and depression levels, I’m very happy and practically carefree. I’m the most happy and self-secure I’ve been in a long while because I’ve finally found myself. But then they bring up the topic of suicide over and over and over, it get’s me questioning my feelings when I don’t need to. It would be better if they could leave the kids out of it that don’t need it and give help to those that need help.
Why the sudden change in behavior in juveniles, specifically in America? Phones and technology. Social media and phones and technology are designed to be addictive. I am a victim of this myself. I was given an iPod at the ripe age of six. As much as I love and am thankful for my parents, I wish they would have waited a couple years to give me something like that. However, I did not have social media access when I had said iPod. I was not given any social media platforms until I reached sixth grade, when my parents allowed me to get Instagram. And quite frankly, after having it for about a year and a half, I have gradually stopped using it. The only social media platform I really use is Pinterest, and that is to look at book quotes and writing ideas as well as other traveling ideas. The only reason why I keep Instagram is because that is where my favorite authors post announcements about their books.
Social media is known to be horrible for the developing minds of children, tweens, and teens. Promoting global catastrophes, social issues, beauty standards, and other highly inappropriate content for a young person’s eye. As a girl myself, I have seen girls my age have body image problems. I myself do not have that problem. However, I can see how they would see their perfectly normal and healthy bodies that way.
Influencers are a massive problem. They show young girls what a perfect and beautiful body looks like when it is just not true, and especially for a tween girl’s body while it is developing and going through drastic changes biologically. It is just not realistic for girls going through puberty.
There are so many things affecting tweens and teens mental health nowadays, but these are some of the major ones I’ve experienced.
Zara J. McAninch is in the eighth grade at Jacob Coy Middle School, Beavercreek.
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