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By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer Mon
Mar 28, 12:15 am ET
CHICAGO 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 pediatrician and lead author of new
American Academy of Pediatrics 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 pediatricians to encourage parents to talk with their kids
about online use and to be aware of Facebook depression, cyberbullying, sexting
and other online risks. They were published online Monday in Pediatrics.
Abby Abolt, 16, a Chicago high school sophomore and frequent Facebook user,
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' status updates and pictures and what they
were doing with friends, I could see how that would make them upset," she said.
"It's like a big popularity contest who can get the most friend requests or
get the most pictures tagged," she said.
Also, it's common among some teens to post snotty or judgmental messages on the
Facebook walls of people they don't like, said Gaby Navarro, 18, a senior from
Grayslake, Ill. It's happened to her friends, and she said she could imagine
how that could make some teens feel depressed.
"Parents should definitely know" about these practices," Navarro said. "It's
good to raise awareness about it."
The academy guidelines note that online harassment "can cause profound
psychosocial outcomes," including suicide. The widely publicized suicide of a
15-year-old Massachusetts girl last year occurred after she'd been bullied and
harassed, in person and on Facebook.
"Facebook is where all the teens are hanging out now. It's their corner store,"
O'Keeffe said.
She said the benefits of kids using social media sites like Facebook shouldn't
be overlooked, however, such as connecting with friends and family, sharing
pictures and exchanging ideas.
"A lot of what's happening is actually very healthy, but it can go too far,"
she said.
Dr. Megan Moreno, a University of Wisconsin adolescent medicine specialist who
has studied online social networking among college students, said using
Facebook can enhance feelings of social connectedness among well-adjusted kids,
and have the opposite effect on those prone to depression.
Parents shouldn't get the idea that using Facebook "is going to somehow infect
their kids with depression," she said.