Does Facebook Depression Exist?

Last week, theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)published in the journal Pediatrics a report on the impact of social networks that affirms that the use of these networks is an indicator to take into account when assessing the health of children and adolescents. According to the document, the experts of this institution believe that data related to the use of Facebook and other social networks should be included in the medical questionnaire in order to diagnose (and if possible prevent) a possible childhood depression. Not surprisingly, “according to recent surveys, half of adolescents access their favorite social network more than once a day, and up to 22% of adolescents open the page more than a dozen times.” Therefore, the authors conclude,a large part of the emotional and social development of this generation is taking place on the Internetand on these platforms.

In the report the AAP goes on to talk about“Facebook depression”, and ensures that children affected by it would be at risk of social isolation or would have low self-esteem, which would be added to a large amount of time spent on the social network, something that would become a depressing element.

Facebook pages can make kids feel worse if they think they are not up to their friends due to the number of visits, updated messages, and photos of happy people apparently having a really good time. It could be more painful than real-life encounters that make teens feel bad, according to study co-author Gwenn O’Keeffe, as “Facebook provides a distorted view of what is really happeningIn addition, this social network promotes aatmosphere of social competitiveness, according to the authors.

However, not all specialists agree on the negative effects of the popular social network. The expert in adolescent medicine Megan Moreno, from the University of Wisconsin (USA), has assured in statements to Associated Pressthat the use ofFacebook can improve the perception of social connection among balanced youth and have the opposite effect among those prone to depression.