Social media use may have driven the increase in suicide rates among US teens, a new analysis suggests.
Suicide rates for teens rose steadily between 2010 and 2015 despite two decades of decline, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A new analysis by San Diego University shows that, while we cannot know for certain, there is a distinct correlation between suicide rates and the surge in social media use.
They lay bare how the boom in cyberbullying, and social media posts depicting ‘perfect’ lives may be taking a toll on teens’ mental health, has mirrored a spike in depression among young people.
The report comes just months after the same team show a spike in Google searches for ‘how to commit suicide’ after the release of Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, which controversially depicted a teen girl’s depression and eventual suicide.
