Eisenhower Health, Coachella Valley High School discuss effects of social media on mental health

Eisenhower Health partners with Coachella Valley High School's Health Academy to discuss and educate students, parents and community members on the effects of social media on mental health.

Studies show that social media can lead to anxiety, depression and loneliness when engaged in consistently.

National Institutes of Health reported that student loneliness was high when "smartphone access and internet use were high."

One aspect of social media that can impact students heavily is the widespread ability for cyberbullying. Mental Health America, a non-profit organization, reports that 59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced abusive online behaviors. They say the most common abusive behavior was name-calling, which 42% of teens say they have experienced.

Mental Health America also reported that almost twice as many LGBTQ+ students reported
being cyberbullied compared to heterosexual students at 36% versus 20%.

However, the non profit also says not all students find social media to be a negative influence. They say, "Forty-five percent of teens believe social media has neither a positive nor negative impact on
people their age. 31% say social media has a mostly positive impact and 24% say it has a
mostly negative impact."

Eisenhower hopes to show attendees the positives and negatives of social media use and raise awareness of best practices for healthy engagement with social media.

Students researched different aspects of mental health and how social media effects it. One group of students reported on social media and physical health.

They found over the last 20 years, suicide risks in females ages 15-24 increased by 87% and 30% in males. They also researched how social media promotes self-harm related content and how increased hours spend on the platforms can increase suicide risks.

Stay with News Channel 3 at 5 p.m. for more information on the effects of social media on mental health.