The intense craving to constantly tweet, text, post, pin and like; social media addiction is a plague that has swept not just across the United States, but around the world from England to China.
Social media addiction is a real threat
Though social media overuse has not been confirmed as an actual addiction, many research projects are being conducted in order to prove that it is. According to the Pew Research Center, about 24 percent of teens reported being on social media “almost constantly.” Among those teens, the majority of them are girls, while boys tend to lean toward using video games.
We know that a large amount of teens use social media nearly all time, but are there negative effects? According to a study by the University of Albany, the answer is yes. Julia Hormes, the leader of the research study, found that about 10 percent of users struggled with social media addiction. The effects of the addiction included a higher risk of alcohol abuse, anxiety symptoms and issues with emotional regulation.
3 tips to help your daughter
- Make sure they knows you care: Reassuring your child that you’re there to talk and support their is important for building trust. Trust is imperative to being able to make a difference in your daughter’s life and making their understand why a social media addiction is unhealthy.
- Create technology free zones: Making zones where you have to focus on the family is important. It makes a space where you, as the parent, also put away your technology and get involved.
- Encourage creativity, extracurricular activities: Encouraging, not pushing, your child to get involved in something they have interest in could be a good way to break their social media addiction. It gives their something else to focus on.
Additional treatment
If your child is struggling with their social media overuse and traditional therapy isn’t working, a residential treatment center could be the next step. Solstice RTC is a treatment center for older teen girls and assigned female at birth struggling with issues, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse or social media addiction. We use comprehensive, evidence-based therapy to help families reconnect and heal.
For more information on how Solstice RTC can help your child break their social media overuse, contact us today at (866) 278-3345.
