Doctors warn of teen Facebook depression

Add 'Facebook depression' to potential harms linked with social media, an influential doctors' group warns, referring to a condition it says may affect troubled teens who obsess over the online site.

Doctors warn of teen Facebook depression

Add 'Facebook depression' to potential harms linked with social media, an influential doctors' group warns, referring to a condition it says may affect troubled teens who obsess over the online site.

Researchers disagree on whether it's simply an extension of depression some kids feel in other circumstances, or a distinct condition linked with using the online site.

But there are unique aspects of Facebook that can make it a particularly tough social landscape to navigate for kids already dealing with poor self-esteem, said Dr Gwenn O'Keeffe, a Boston-area paediatrician and lead author of new American Academy of Paediatrics social media guidelines.

With in-your-face friends' tallies, status updates and photos of happy-looking people having great times, Facebook pages can make some kids feel even worse if they think they don't measure up.

It can be more painful than sitting alone in a crowded school cafeteria or other real-life encounters that can make kids feel down, O'Keeffe said, because Facebook provides a skewed view of what's really going on.

Online, there's no way to see facial expressions or read body language that provide context.

The guidelines urge paediatricians to encourage parents to talk with their kids about online use and to be aware of Facebook depression, cyberbullying, sexting and other risks.
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They were published this week in Paediatrics.

Abby Abolt (16), a Chicago high school student , says the site has never made her feel depressed, but that she can understand how it might affect some kids.

"If you really didn't have that many friends and weren't really doing much with your life, and saw other peoples' updates and pictures and what they were doing with friends, I could see how that would make them upset," she said.