WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2013 — The internet has become an integral part of our everyday lives, but if you’re a parent, you may want to watch how your teen is using it. A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE finds that while the internet can offer a support network for isolated or troubled teens, it is also linked to an increased risk of suicide and self-harm -- making the internet a potent double-edged sword.
Researchers from the University of Oxford in England analyzed 14 studies, and found conflicting evidence as to whether the internet was a positive of negative influence on teens. While some found that internet use was helpful for troubled teens, others found that many teens acted out the harmful and violent imagery they were exposed to online.
“There are no known online interventions to date that specifically target young people at risk of self-harm or suicide and yet we find that adolescents who self-harm are very frequent users of the internet,” study author Kate Daine, a postgraduate researchers with the centre for evidence based intervention at the University of Oxford, said in a statement. “While social media might be useful for supporting vulnerable adolescents, we also find that the internet is doing more harm than good in some cases. We need to know more about how we can use social media as a channel to help young people in distress.”
Young people often enjoy the anonymity that the internet allows them, and using that anonymity to express feelings they can’t in real life is beneficial, according to the study. However, the researchers also found that on those same forums, 9 percent of the posts were about methods of self-harm, with many offering tips on how to go about doing it and how to hide the problem.
“Some users of online forums perceive them as supportive communities that provide a means of coping,” the researchers wrote in the study. “Equally, use of online forums can be associated with feelings of hopelessness and increases in suicidal ideation, and it is unclear whether forums alleviate distress. Interactions on online forums may reduce the threshold for self-harming by normalization of the behavior.”
Kelly Posner, PhD, founder and head of the Suicide Risk Assessment Center at the New York State Psychiatric Hospital, said that forums and social media provide an outlet for many teens, and added that the internet provides a great opportunity for intervention.
“The internet is how this generation communicates,” Dr. Poser said. “The more we can find people on the internet or social media who need help, the more we’re going to be able to prevent these things.”
Posner urged parents to monitor the internet usage of their at-risk teens, and try to steer them towards forums and websites that are not anonymous and are run by medical professionals.
“It’s important for parents to monitor how their kids spend their time online,” she said.” Parents need to learn how their child uses it so they can help guide them towards healthy websites.”
“The internet can be a very helpful place, but it can also be hurtful, depending on how it’s used,” Posner added. “There are sites that encourage and teach people to hurt themselves, but there are also those that help them cope.”
One of the major issues on the internet is cyber-bullying, Posner said, which can raise your child’s risk for suicide or self-harm.
“The internet provides a fertile environment for verbal bullying,” she said. “Since any form of victimization can raise the risk for suicide, cyber bullying is akin to in-person abuse. Parents need to teach kids to use privacy settings, and discuss the types of people and messages they can come across. If your child is being bullied, close their account.”
But while monitoring their internet activity is a good way to see who is at risk, regular screening of all age groups for depression and suicidal behaviors should be a public health priority, Posner said.
“The fact is that most people suffer in silence,” she said. “We should be asking question about depression like we monitor for blood pressure, and take every opportunity available to reach out to these people.”