Social media apps, designed to be addictive, are playing an increasingly large role in the lives of young people (or ‘Gen Z’).
Rikki Schlott created an Instagram account when she was 11. She now says she feels the app – and the pressure to post perfection – stole parts of her childhood.
As Facebook comes under fire for the impact its apps can have on teens, experts explain how algorithms have made social media the new “drug of choice”.
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I think Tik Tok is deplorable. There are so many videos of girls in their teens and twenties on there with a lot of “risqué” content. Seems like it could be a case of low self-esteem and self worth that they would put themselves out there like that. Or maybe they just get off all the attention and likes on their channel. But sad nonetheless.
Is 1995 born gen z or millennial ?
Too much reach for kids
As a millennial degreed & certified psychological professional, who has worked extensively with Gen Z- part of it is attention span, part of it is lack of depth, & part of it is emotional inability. Gen zs have always had phones & especially TikTok/social media on constantly. They are so attention limited that they need multisensory stimulation all the time (video games are visual & auditory), and quite literally can’t focus on experiences that only involve one sense (music is only auditory). This is the same reason Gen Z doesn’t really read either. Additionally, on the psychological average Gen Z doesn’t know how to handle emotion. Since they’ve been very little with phones/ipad even as young kids, their response to being upset has been to drown it out with distraction as avoidance, rather than feel and process what they’re going through in the moment. As the most evocative art forms, many can’t handle the emotional density of music. Or for that matter literature either. We also see this in the fact that the music/books they do listen to, in the limited instances that they do, isn’t deep or emotive. This also explains why they gravitate to video games so much, which generally aren’t emotionally evocative, or philosophically deep in the same way music & literature are. While I mainly am discussing this as it relates to Gen Z, it’s also essential to note that Gen X is largely responsible for this, as their lack of active involvement, emotional presence, & philosophical depth with their children has left them like this. Many of Gen z wasn’t taught to enjoy the world, and now unfortunately many don’t. They like more online (the realm of video games & TikTok) then they do in the real world (the realm of deep friendships, real experiences, music, & literature). Which honestly is very sad, because they don’t know how to appreciate or engage with reality, instead escaping/avoiding it into the non reality of TikTok & video games. Leaving many of them stuck in their parents basements, lonely, & lacking ambition for anything more. Not actualizing the myriad opportunities & experiences of what’s now available to them whether in teen years or early adulthood. In conclusion, I also wanna provide the context that this isn’t all Gen Zs, as those with both older (boomers) & younger (millennial) parents, were given better (millennial) parenting, or more emotionally charged (boomer) parenting, & even some good Gen Xers parented well, which did not resolve in the same intensity with these difficulties. Many of these Gen Zs are active, smart, & even politically engaged. And they don’t deserve to be grouped in with those who have this level of avoidance whether of reality, boredom, or emotion. They are engaging with the reality both personal & political that’s before them, in ways not even most millennials Gen Xers or boomers did at their age. But unfortunately this is not the majority of them. And most of them who are caught up in these reality avoidance issues deserve the help of those who are older & those who are not caught up, so they can come into reality & build engaged lives worth living too. We as a society can help them with this by continually showing them to the depth & emotion of reality, teaching them how to live in it, which is what I do. Which is what this channel does. Which I hope we can all take opportunities to help with as we interact with these Gen Zs in our lives. Change is possible, and through the best supports they can be taught to engage/live deeply, and therefore lead meaningful lives too. As a society, we need to stop blaming them for these issues, and start showing them how to live engaged with reality. Through this they can experience better lives!!
When I grew up, the square in peoples back pocket was a pack of cigarettes, now it is a smart phone… hopefully better?