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Suicide rate amongst girls on the rise

Posted by / May 18, 2019

As a general rule, girls think about suicide more than boys, but boys actually commit suicide more. However, since 2007, the suicide rate for girls ages 10-14 increased by a stunning 12.7%, while the suicide rate for boys the same ages increased 7.1%. The study did not reveal why the rate for girls is increasing so much faster, but researchers have one idea: social media.

Joan Luby, of Washington University School of Medicine and Sarah Kertz, of Southern Illinois University wrote in an opinion piece, “The fact that social media has become a primary forum for interpersonal engagement in adolescence, a developmental period when social contact is rapidly rising and becoming increasingly important to well-being, makes this an area of great potential influence and importance.” They went on to suggest that the rising suicide rate for girls may be a “canary in the coal mine” pointing to the potential dangers of our increasingly digital lives.

On the flip side, a study found that quitting Facebook had some pretty immediate benefits to your life. A tech reporter for CNBC published the results of her own 30-day social media detox: “In short, I started to feel happier and lighter.” Former social media execs won’t let their kids use social media. Imagine if a restaurant chef didn’t let family eat its food because it was unhealthy, or if a car company exec wouldn’t let family members drive their cars because they were too dangerous.

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