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There have been many warnings about the impact of constant smartphone use by young people recently. In September, new data from the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe revealed “a sharp rise in problematic social media use” among adolescents in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada, “with rates increasing from 7 percent in 2018 to 11 percent in 2022. This, coupled with findings that 12 percent of adolescents are at risk of problematic gaming, raises urgent concerns about the impact of digital technology on the mental health and well-being of young people.”
In the United States, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory last year in which he wrote that “frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behavior), and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments.”
A 2022 Pew Research Center survey of American teenagers ages 13 to 17 found that TikTok had rocketed in popularity since its North American debut several years ago. It is now a top social media platform for teens among the platforms covered in this survey. Some 67 percent of teens say they have used TikTok, with 16 percent saying they use it almost constantly.
In his new book, The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argued that Gen Z experienced a “phone-based” childhood. “Gen Z got sucked into spending many hours of each day scrolling through the shiny happy posts of friends, acquaintances, and distant influencers.” They became the first generation in history “to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternative universe that was exciting, addictive, unstable, and […] unsuitable for children and adolescents,” Haidt wrote.
Parents, caregivers, teachers, and treatment professionals nationwide are well aware of the detrimental impact of this phenomenon. “Many of our clients are still in high school and social media is just embedded in their social atmosphere,” says Zeeshan Hussein, a licensed professional counselor associate with BasePoint Academy. “They constantly use lots of apps like TikTok and Instagram. Here at BasePoint, they discuss in the groups many of the themes they encounter in social media, such as mental health, self-esteem, and body image issues. Just realizing how embedded social media is allows us as clinicians to be mindful of the different variables out there that have a profound impact on some of the clients we work with.”
REINING IN SOCIAL MEDIA USE
In therapy, Hussein works with families to help them stay on top of online activities. “I like to work with communication and trust building,” says Hussein. “In a family setting, we are talking about screen times and following through on those set screen times. At the same time, we’re not letting them go entirely ‘cold turkey,’ allowing them to have some access to social media but with some conditions.”
Hussein also sits down with clients on an individual basis to have a discussion about social media use. “At the high school age range, they’re very emotional and passionate. Once they get passionate, they get very attached, and social media algorithms work primarily on people with a lot of passion and then they’re hooked.”
Hussein just talks with clients about the pros and cons of spending one hour every single day on social media. “Do I feel energetic when I’m done? Or really drained? And if I’m really drained, why don’t we reduce that time if it impacts us in such an adverse way?”
He also explores with clients what kind of content they are viewing. “What kind of message are they receiving? How are those messages being applied to how I perceive myself and also the world? Is it detrimentally affecting me or am I viewing positive, uplifting content?”
REWIRING THE BRAIN
Part of the treatment at BasePoint Academy is providing psycho-education, explaining how the brain works. “Not a lot of people know what’s happening in the brain when they engage its reward system.” This is a network of structures in the human brain activated whenever we experience something rewarding, such as eating nice-tasting food, having sex, using psycho-active substances, or engaging with stimulating web content such as social media.
“Bringing that system to light, providing some education on that, and developing activities around that are really helpful,” says Hussein. With his teenage clients, he discusses their social interactions. “Hey, you’re constantly in your room. When friends come over, you’re all ‘chilling’—what does that mean exactly? Does it mean, you’re all on your phones? What’s the purpose of that? Does that even benefit you?”
Hussein explains the intricacies of brain activity. “We discuss the social brain, the solitude brain, and just the different states we have in our brain. To achieve a state of balance we need good socialization, some good time for ourselves, we need time for a range of other things that are healthy as well. I try to get them to zoom out from whatever is habitual for them because it is not unusual for them to be on their phone even though there are five friends in the room.”
One of Hussein’s clients was on TikTok “pretty much all day.” During treatment, they agreed to limit it to a maximum of two hours a day. “The parents noticed that he was downstairs more often, that he was more active and engaged with them,” remembers Hussein. “You can rewire your brain without really thinking about it. It was nice to see.”
The treatment programs at BasePoint were designed to specifically address the unique challenges that today’s teens are facing in mental health and substance use. That’s why we’ve created a dynamic program to address the multifaceted and complex teen experience that is unlike any generation before it.
We serve communities in Dallas, Texas, and surrounding areas, including Irving, Arlington, Fort Worth, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Forney, Rockwall, Frisco, Prosper, Grapevine, Midlothian, Mansfield, Mesquite and Garland. Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) were designed to address the specific mental health challenges today’s teens are facing. That’s why we’ve created a dynamic program to address the multifaceted and complex teen experience that is unlike any generation before it.
Our complimentary assessment with a licensed clinician will provide you with a recommendation for the appropriate level of care for your teen struggling with mental health. We can also check your insurance coverage. Call us to schedule a complimentary same-day assessment at (469) 629-6355 or complete our inquiry form.
