{"id":10529,"date":"2019-06-10T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T10:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=10529"},"modified":"2019-06-02T07:22:16","modified_gmt":"2019-06-02T11:22:16","slug":"how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2019\/06\/how.html","title":{"rendered":"Do This to Improve Teen Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"blogger-336371_1920\"Teen mental health is of great concern today.\u00a0Smartphones and social media have shaped a generation in ways we are just beginning to understand. While we may see a positive benefit like a decline in sexual activity among teens\u00a0because\u00a0device use has led to less dating\u00a0and\u00a0texting verses real time relationships, there are down sides as well.\u00a0Device use has also led to less independence (e.g., delay in getting a driver’s license) and\u00a0a serious decline in teen employment. Jobs are available, but putting off adult responsibility seems to be the trend. You can live your early life on your phone. No need to push yourself out into the real world of people.<\/p>\n

For many teens and young adults, leisure time is not spent at the skating rink, in after school clubs or working a part-time job. Virtual spaces, apps and social media\u00a0have replaced hang out time with friends.\u00a0But time spent virtual connecting\u00a0is also disappointing when it comes to developing real face-to-face friendships. The end result is often\u00a0distress and unhappiness. And that\u00a0should concern every parent.<\/p>\n

There is a reason Steve Jobs limited his kids use of devices. The fall out of too much virtual living is unhappiness, affecting\u00a0teen mental health. The more time spent on screens, the more unhappy a person becomes. The proverbial “Put down your phone, get off screens and spend time with people,” just may be the intervention needed to awaken some out of their depression and loneliness.<\/p>\n

Social media is not a cure for loneliness. The relentless documenting of social events can leave a teen feeling left out and\u00a0uninvolved. And when the documented event doesn’t get LIKES or comments, the lack of affirmation can feel devastating. Add to this the prevalence of cyberbullying and virtual relationships become a source of negativity.<\/p>\n

So while we may be accustomed to sleeping with our phones, being on them in the middle of family time\u00a0and retreating to our private spaces to settle in texting or\u00a0jump on social media, the end result is disappointing–loneliness, depression and unhappiness. The blue light of the\u00a0cell phone in bed is also\u00a0causing sleep deprivation, leading to moodiness and poor performance.<\/p>\n

Thus, as simply as it sounds, if you want to improve your teen or young adult’s mental health, convince them that limited time on their devices will improve their mood and connection with people. Help them understand that life lived on a device will create disappointment and unhappiness. The end result is not real connection, but loneliness. Put\u00a0down the device to improve teen\u00a0mental health! This is a free and easy prescription, but one that could make a major impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Teen mental health is of great concern today.\u00a0Smartphones and social media have shaped a generation in ways we are just beginning to understand. While we may see a positive benefit like a decline in sexual activity among teens\u00a0because\u00a0device use has led to less dating\u00a0and\u00a0texting verses real time relationships, there are down sides as well.\u00a0Device use…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[914],"tags":[4326,1601,1024,688,772,4325,4431],"class_list":["post-10529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-relationships-2","tag-devices","tag-disappointment","tag-friendships","tag-loneliness","tag-parenting-teens","tag-smartphones","tag-teen-mental-health"],"yoast_head":"\nDo This to Improve Teen Mental Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2019\/06\/how.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do This to Improve Teen Mental Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Teen mental health is of great concern today.\u00a0Smartphones and social media have shaped a generation in ways we are just beginning to understand. While we may see a positive benefit like a decline in sexual activity among teens\u00a0because\u00a0device use has led to less dating\u00a0and\u00a0texting verses real time relationships, there are down sides as well.\u00a0Device use…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2019\/06\/how.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-10T10:00:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-06-02T11:22:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2019\/06\/blogger-336371_1920-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do This to Improve Teen Mental Health","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2019\/06\/how.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Do This to Improve Teen Mental Health","og_description":"Teen mental health is of great concern today.\u00a0Smartphones and social media have shaped a generation in ways we are just beginning to understand. 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Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. 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