WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Health leaders say social media is a big part of what is fueling a now-growing mental health crisis in teens.
The CDC released new data last month from a 10-year study which found in 2021, around one in six high school students had been bullied via text message, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media.
It also found girls to be more likely bullied than boys online and nearly one-third of teenage girls had seriously considered attempting suicide. However, the dangers of social media go beyond bullying.
"I thought I knew everything but clearly I do not," mom of two teenage boys Sandhya Singh said. "It's a bit scary."
Social media isn't all funny memes and filters. Monday night at the Williamsville Central School Districts Speaker Series at Casey Middle School, parents learned that for themselves.
Kids Escaping Drugs helped parents understand the real raw facts about vaping and the role social media plays in exposing kids to that and other drugs.
"What we just learned on social media, I had no idea," Singh said. "How it's tailored to kids. Bright colors, fruity tastes. So that's a bit scary."
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse states teens aged 12 to 17 that spend time on social networking sites daily are five times more likely to buy cigarettes or vaping products, five times more likely to drink, and two times as likely to use marijuana.
Kids Escaping Drugs Program Specialist, Mikayla Martin, said while it's hard for parents to keep up with social media, there are signs you can look for in your kids at home.
"Maybe they stop hanging out with their friends and they don't want to go out and play sports anymore," Martin said. "Then other signs are increased irritability, depression, anxiety, crazy shifts in mood. All of those things are signs of either sometimes being bullied or some type of dependence to some type of substance."
Drugs and vaping aren't the only concerns - bullying is also.
"Unfortunately with cyberbullying, especially with things like TikTok and Instagram, that can happen at such a large scale," Martin said. "The kids don't have the process to be able to say 'hey this is going on.' They don't want people to see they're struggling. Mental health is super stigmatized, especially with youth."
"The more we talk about it, the less there's a stigma around it," Williamsville School District Superintendent Darren Brown-Hall said. "It's important for parents to know that we're all in this together. Many families are dealing with issues that are taking place on social media or issues dealing with vaping and things like that."
Although it may not always be easy to have the conversation, parents said it would always be worth it.
"It's good to keep the communication lines open," Singh said. "Knowledge is power."
