Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1130365
to be happy. e risk of unhappiness due to social media is highest for younger teens. Teens are under pressure, says Brenna Rollins, a senior at Imperial High School near Calexico. "It's not even about looking good. It's about looking perfect and original. If you repeat something — like wearing something someone else wore or repeating something someone else said — everyone will let you know and ask why you copied. ere's a lot of judgment." Jackson Schonberg, a Redondo Beach High School freshman, feels less alone when he's online, and spends about five hours a day playing games and communicating with friends. Recently he decided to leave his phone upstairs when he's studying. But the constant tings of text messages make him wonder what he's missing. "People my age have more depression and anxiety these days, due to technology," he says. "Home is no longer a safe place. Even at home, you can't get away from stuff that people are saying about you." Jackson's father, Arond Schonberg, a counselor at Redondo Beach High for 19 years, finds Gen Z teens are much more anxious and depressed than millennials. "They have mental health challenges because of their inability to disconnect from social media," says the Redondo Beach Teachers Association member. "ey are looking so much for online validation, they don't take time to know themselves. eir mistakes, magnified across social media, make the fear of failure greater. If they don't get enough likes, they think, 'I'm not worthy. Nobody likes me.' One person may have 1,000 followers, but if a single person says some- thing negative, they are distraught and think something's wrong with them." When students come to him in crisis, he offers coping suggestions. He asks them to remember exceptional times when they succeeded and thrived. He suggests using social media in positive ways that can inspire others, such as quotations or a call to action. Sometimes he will suggest that a stressed-out student "unplug" for a while, which they consider blasphemy. "It's like telling them not to eat. ey say they have to be in the know about what's going on at all times." Twenge says the explosion in digital media use may be linked to the mental health cri- sis, with skyrocketing levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness and suicide after 2012. She notes that 76 percent more 15-to-19- year-olds killed themselves in 2017 than in 2007, coinciding with widespread ownership of smartphones, increased social media use, and decreased in-person socializing. "It's clear we need more funding for coun- selors in not only K-12, but colleges," says Twenge. "Schools are doing a good job of raising awareness of mental health issues, but they lack the resources needed to deal with the large numbers of kids having problems." They are looking so much for online validation, they don't take time to know themselves." — Arond Schonberg, Redondo Beach Teachers Association Arond Schonberg is a counselor at Redondo Beach High School. Students take a cellphone break in Smiley's class. 24 cta.org Jackson Schonberg special report