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Parents of the social media generation are not OK – CNN

By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business
Video by John General, Janelle Gonzalez & Sofia Barrett, CNN Business

Updated 7:16 AM ET, Wed December 8, 2021

Sabine Polak is one of many concerned parents who are struggling to navigate social media’s impact on their children’s mental health.

(CNN Business) Last September, just a few weeks into the school year, Sabine Polak got a call from the guidance counselor. Her 14-year-old daughter was struggling with depression and had contemplated suicide.

“I was completely floored,” said Polak, 45, who lives in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. “I had no clue she was even feeling remotely down at all. When I asked her about it, she just kept saying she wanted to get away from it all … but I didn’t know what that meant.”

Instagram will now tell users when to take a break from using the app After taking her to a crisis center, which banned phone use for anyone checking in, Polak learned from her daughter that the pressures of social media were driving her increased anxiety. The main source of stress: waiting for her friends to open and respond to messages and photos on Snapchat.

Source: Parents of the social media generation are not OK – CNN