Addressing Social Media Risks: Psychologists Urge Parent-School Collaboration

Psychologists advise parents and schools to counteract risky online behaviors by providing youth with needed affection and validation, reducing social media pressure.

After the tragic death of 19-year-old Shivansh, who lost his life falling into a water tank while filming a social media video, psychologists are advising parents to collaborate with schools in providing the affection, acknowledgment, and validation that young individuals typically seek online, even if it drives them towards risky behaviors.

Professor Pallavi Bhatnagar, a clinical psychologist and former head of the psychology department at Lucknow University, emphasized that young people crave attention and validation, sometimes at the cost of endangering their relationships and safety.

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She explained that in a fast-changing world, relationships often suffer. Youngsters seek recognition, security and belonging, so they turn to the Internet for support. “They think doing unique things will get them attention and make them feel good, like a drug. This makes them constantly crave more attention and try to outdo others,” she said.

Prof Adarsh Tripathi from the psychiatry department of the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) here said that five to six young patients struggling with social media addiction and having suicidal feelings, visit him daily. They make risky or explicit content. When people see it, they want more to be seen, which keeps them hooked.

Social media gives a dopamine rush in the brain, like an addiction, said the experts.

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Mitigating Social Media Risks Through Education and Awareness

To counter this trend, Prof Bhatnagar suggested parents should pay attention and tell them not to take the Internet too seriously. Group discussions should be arranged at school, keeping in mind the risky stuff they might do.

Prof Tripathi suggested holding off on giving adolescents smartphones with social media. “Playing outdoor sports can also help in controlling the urge to make reels or view it,” he added.

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In an interesting observation, it has been seen that all UP Board top scorers have one thing in common, they are ‘inactive’ on social media.

The toppers said that board preparation is incomplete without daily revisions and one should be trusting classroom teaching rather than running after knowledge from the Internet and coaching classes.

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Though born in the times of social media reel popularity, these toppers maintained a safe distance from social media.

Almost all the toppers said that they preferred reading books instead of being active on social media.

Source-Medindia