anorexia

What Help Is Available for the Screen Addicted? Part 2 of a 2-Part Series.

September 28, 2018 by Dr. Tracy Bennett

In our last GKIS article, Is Your Child Screen Addicted? we discussed the definitions of screen addiction, who’s to blame, who is commonly afflicted, and what the brain studies say. Our next question is, OK then what? It turns out that inpatient treatment facilities for screen addiction are popping up all over Asia. We are starting to see the same here in the United States. When should you get help and what does help look like?

When to Get Help

GKIS supports parents to set family rules and promote healthy screen use before digital injury and addictive use occur. If you are concerned about your child’s relationship with their screens, the chart below is a great place to start. Read through each level of functioning and determine which best describes your loved ones.

Fortunately, most kids fall under the reactive category for screen use. To avoid progression into Impairment or Distress, GKIS offers tools like our Screen Safety Essentials Course. If you think you’d like to get outside help as well, here are some facts that will help you navigate as you find the specific help you need.

Where can people with screen addiction go for treatment?

Outpatient Treatment

“Outpatient” simply means treatment from an office or clinic rather than admission to a hospital. Youth inpatient treatment programs are more expensive than outpatient and do not typically admit clients until they are at least 12 years old. If your child is young, and it’s early enough that the problem seems resolvable, outpatient services are the best place to start. Find an experienced professional like Dr. Bennett that will work with you and help family members implement follow-up care and make appropriate changes in the home.

Outpatient treatment starts with a comprehensive individual and family evaluation. They will then propose a treatment plan rich in cognitive behavioral coping skills (like those we offer in our Social Media Readiness Course). Usually, the practitioner will see you and your child once a week or twice a week in crisis situations. If your child needs more support, their mental health professional will refer you to extra resources or a partial outpatient or inpatient program. Partial outpatient typically refers to a program with multiple services available more than once a week.

Inpatient Treatment

Inpatient treatment usually involves an overnight stay away from home. Programs are typically offered in timeframes lasting 30, 45, or 90 days and include problem-focused, goal-directed therapies to address the symptoms of the individual’s problematic tech use. Clinicians guide clients through the process of “disconnecting and finding themselves.”

For a long-term stay, you may want to look into programs with accredited education so that your youngster can stay on track in school during treatment. Programs work to encourage a healthy balanced lifestyle while addressing underlying issues contributing to emotional factors (depression, anxiety, ADHD, ASD). Each client’s treatment plan should be individualized and created collectively by the client, their clinicians, and the family. All programs except aftercare should require their clients to be 100% tech-free while in treatment.

The following services have been shown to successfully treat behavioral addiction:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Individual and Group Psychotherapy
Nutrition and Fitness
Interpersonal Skills Groups
Life Skills Psychoeducation
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MPSR) & Meditation
Guided Meditation Groups
Yoga
12-Step Recovery Groups
Relapse Prevention
After Care Planning
Family Workshops

During inpatient treatment, professionals will work to better understand the complex nature of the individual’s digital media abuse and how it is affecting their development, as well as address the underlying medical and mental health conditions. Patients spend time examining their close interpersonal relationships and how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. By exploring patterns of thinking that lead to self-destructive actions and the beliefs that direct these thoughts, patients can modify their patterns of thinking to improve coping skills. Redirecting negative thinking is imperative for self-change, and, due to the immature neural networks in young people, they need more support to achieve lasting cognitive restructuring. Negative thinking patterns also exacerbate anxiety, depression, and compulsive behaviors.

It is important to shop around for quality and fit. Make sure that all treating professionals share an open line of communication with one another, the patient, and the family. As a team, they should help employ a balanced life plan for the client during and post-treatment. They will also go over the risks and benefits of use, potential relapse obstacles and triggers, and help the patient build familial and community connections which are imperative in maintaining a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

Who does the treatment?

Counselors

Counselors focus on overcoming substance abuse and maintaining sobriety. They tend to focus on the here and now and are typically not trained to work with mental health issues directly. Counseling activities include facilitating group therapy and support groups, family counseling for rebuilding and support, and individual counseling to manage symptoms, cravings, and triggers. Counselors work in outpatient and inpatient rehabilitative programs as well as transitional living environments like sober living homes.

Specific types of counselors:

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors provide treatment and support for those struggling with addiction. Education and licensing requirements vary by state. However, they typically have an associate degree and a substance abuse counselor certification. Some additionally seek a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
School counselors typically have a bachelor’s degree, a teaching credential, and a two-year master’s degree. They specialize in front-line identification of student problems and individual and group counseling about broader issues, like academic and family issues.

Therapists

Therapists focus on mental and emotional health over time, of which substance abuse may be a part. Therefore, they treat mental health issues that co-occur with addiction, including mood and anxiety disorders. Therapists train with a variety of techniques. However, when working with addiction issues they primarily focus on cognitive behavioral therapy, contingency management, motivational enhancement, and individual and family behavioral therapy. Therapists typically work in private practices and outpatient and inpatient rehabilitative programs.

Specific types of therapists:

Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) and licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCC) have bachelor’s and master’s degrees. LPCC’s treat a broader scope of mental health issues, while LMFT’s focus on issues that stem from marriage and family relationships.
Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) are part of the mental health counseling branch of social work. They are required to get extra accreditation and training after receiving their master’s in social work (MSW) degree. MSW and LCSW therapies are designed to work with the client to discover what strong natural skills and talents they possess that can be used as a launching point to tackle the issues the client is facing. This process begins with an assessment phase that inventories the strengths and perceived challenges as well as the client’s environment. Then the LCSW works with the client to make and work toward realistic goals (immediate & long term) as well as work to improve the client’s relationship with others and themselves. Social workers can diagnose and provide therapy but cannot prescribe meds.

Licensed Clinical Psychologists

Psychologists typically have a Ph.D. (5-year degree) or PsyD (4-year degree) and are trained for testing and treatment. They have the training to deal with more serious mental illnesses than other treatment providers. Psychologists are often in supervisor and program development and management roles.

Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists are medical doctors that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment referrals for individuals with mental illness. They earn their medical degree and then attend five years of residency specialty training with clients with mental illness. They can prescribe medication and monitor/make dosage adjustments as needed.

Physicians

Physicians with a specialty in addiction medicine are medical practitioners that specialize in chemical and behavioral dependency.

Quick Tips for Parents and Kids in Recovery

Many things will undermine a child’s rehabilitation. One is being too ambitious at the start. Don’t overly focus on each little thing or just the end result. This can lead them to feel defeated from the beginning. Instead, focus on the process one day at a time and acknowledge effort along the way.

Remember that they are doing something important and challenging! Kids making it through childhood and adults doing their best to parent…these are life’s hardest tasks. Blame is not useful, but courage, hope, and love are where it’s at.

“Rehab didn’t cure me of my disorder, but I do consider it to be the cornerstone of my recovery. It gave me a toolbox of coping mechanisms, others to relate to, a safe and open environment, and most importantly, the training to help me understand my specific plight and reframe my thinking. It was the starting point for the long and rigorous process of reclaiming my brain and thought patterns. It still took years after discharge for me to get truly healthy, but I do not believe without serious intervention I would not be where I am today. My disorder robbed me of my ability to connect with the world around me or manage stress without acting out. Today I can say I never imagined my brain to be released from those chains that tethered me to my addiction for so long…. and I owe much of it to the intense work I started in rehabilitation.”

Thank you to CSUCI Intern, Katherine Bryan for informing parents about screen addiction and where families can go for help. If you want to take steps TODAY to prevent digital injury and addiction, check out our GKIS Screen Safety Toolkit, designed to show parents how to create real preventative change in easy steps.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Photo Credits

Happy-kids United Way Lower Mainland CC 2.0

The pros and cons of giving an allowance Aaron Snider CC 2.0

Thinspiration From Eating Disorder Chat Rooms

March 13, 2018 by Dr. Tracy Bennett

Janessa developed anorexia in 2002 and bulimia a year later. What started as a fad diet quickly took over her life leaving her feeling helpless, ashamed, and isolated with her secret. She discovered an eating disorder chatroom with people who understood what she was going through, a constant feed of support from young women just like her posting recipes, photos, and ideas for thinspiration. She began to compulsively check her feed hundreds of times a day, obsessively comparing herself to others in a desperate competition for thinness. This eating disorder online culture not only normalized her self-harm but also encouraged it. Her compulsive online activities provided an intimate escape that no one in her face-to-face life knew of, not even her therapist. By the time she was 19 years old, Janessa was diagnosed with osteoporosis. By 21 years old, she was buried.

81% of ten-year-olds are afraid of being fat
Bullying about body size and appearance is the most common form of bullying in schools.
25% of American men and 45% of American women are on a diet on any given day.
Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year.
Four out of ten individuals have either personally experienced an eating disorder or know someone who has.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders (EDs) are a class of mental illness characterized by maladaptive eating behaviors that negatively impact health, emotions, and general life functioning. EDs have the highest death rate of any mental illness, frequently persisting for years. The most common EDs are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

Eating disordered behaviors typically begin as a way for individuals to lose weight or gain a sense of control over their lives. With a compulsively escalating course, dieting, binge eating, purging, self-starvation, excessive exercise, abuse of laxatives, and compulsive participation with online forums are common.

Who develops ED(s)?

National surveys estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men in America will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. It’s estimated that 40% of female teenagers have an eating disorder, with more men and younger children falling victim in more recent years. EDs are particularly common with individuals who have difficulty coping with stressors.

Risk Factors

Biological

Psychological

Social

Having a close relative with an eating disorder.

Having a close relative with a mental health condition.

Female sex. Although people of any, all, or no gender can develop an eating disorder, being female increases the risk of developing an eating disorder.

History of dieting or using weight loss tactics

Type One (Insulin-dependent) Diabetes

Perfectionism. Unrealistically high expectations for yourself.

Body image dissatisfaction. Internalization of the thin ideal.

Personal history of an anxiety disorder.

Behavioral inflexibility. Many people with anorexia report that, as children, they always followed the rules and felt there was one “right way” to do things.

Prejudices about weight – The idea that thinner is better

Personal history of being teased or bullied about weight.

A drive to be perfect

Members of the LGBTQ community are at higher risk due to stigma and discrimination.

Loneliness and isolation.

Online Forums

Online forums often times exacerbate these already serious mental illnesses by advocating for ED’s as a healthy way of life and painting mainstream society as condemning, encouraging a “they just don’t understand us” attitude and offering a “we’re in this together” alliance. Compulsive data journaling promotes unhealthy social comparison and competition.

H         = 5’1 (Height)
HW     = 99 lbs (Highest Weight)
LW      = 73 lbs (Lowest Weight)
CW      = 87 lbs (Current Weight)
GW      = 81 pounds (Goal We

Thinspiration or “Thinspo” is also used to encourage extreme and unhealthy thinness by sharing photos, memes, media, and stories. For example, “Once on the lips, forever on the hips” or “Every time you say no thank you to food, you say yes please to being skinny.” Secret terminology or slang is also used often to hide online activities from parents. Commonly used slang include:

“Ana”: anorexia

“Mia”: bulimia

“Bikini Bridge”: when an underweight woman in a bikini lies down and her hip bones protrude well past their flat stomach causing their bikini bottom to stretch across and gap is formed.

“Thigh Gap”: space between the inner thighs when standing upright with both knees touching as a result of low weight.

Signs Your Child is at Risk for an Eating Disorder

Wearing concealing clothing

Emotional changes suggestive of co-occurring emotional distress like social anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem.

Behavioral changes like social isolation, eating more or eating less, sleeping more, fatigue or low energy, or an overall loss of interest in things they’ve always enjoyed.

Often spending time browsing for information about exercise and dieting or visiting pro eating disorder online forums

How You Can Help

Seek help & treatment

EDs can be extremely dangerous and commonly co-occur with depression, anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Consult a clinical psychologist who has specialized training with eating disordered behaviors early, don’t wait. Not only can a clinician work with your child to achieve insight and build resilience by teaching emotional coping skills, but she can also provide much needed consult and support for family members. Kids will often accept influence from a therapist even when they are dismissive of parenting support.

Stay calm and matter-of-fact

If you see evidence of eating disordered behavior; ask about it in a straightforward, emotionally neutral manner. Of course share your concern, but be careful not to escalate the situation by panicking, threatening, or lecturing.

Be supportive and present

Make yourself available and willing to talk when your child approaches, on her terms. Kids often avoid talking to their parents, because they’re afraid that they’ll lose their trust or add an additional stress factor to an already stressful situation, like going through a divorce or financial issues (Steinberg, 2014).

Reduce stigma

Shame and guilt can keep individuals tethered to their Eating Disorder longer. It is common for misinformed persons to think that disordered eating is simply a choice. Once EDs take hold, it is very difficult to recover without comprehensive professional treatment.

Helpful Online Resources

NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) has recently worked with major platforms, including Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest, to adjust their terms-of-use policies to forbid the promotion of “self-harm” by users.
Eating Disorder Hope provides its readers with extensive information online such as; defining each type of eating disorder, tools for recovery, treatment options, support groups in your area, an much much more.
Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA provides and outlet of support and fellowship for individuals suffering. EDA is a free online community with the only requirement being that the member is committed to recovering from his/her eating disorder.

Thank you to CSUCI Intern, Katherine Bryan for contributing this article. If you or someone you know is concerned about the effects that media driven beauty ideals online have on our youth please check-out the GKIS article, “I Want To Be Hot When I Grow Up”.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Works Cited

Pro-Ana versus Pro-Recovery: A Content Analytic Comparison of Social Media Users’ Communication about Eating Disorders on Twitter and Tumblr.

The Dangers of ‘Thinspiration’ by Hannah Chenoweth.

Concurrent and prospective analyses of peer, television and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and life satisfaction in adolescent girls.

Pro-Eating Disorder Communities on Social Networking Sites: A Content Analysis.

Social networks become a battleground on body image.

Photo Credits

Anne on Anne of Carversville

Natalie E. Davis on Flckr

Hannah Chenoweth on The DA Online

Natalie Davis on Flckr

What Parents Need to Know About America’s Cutting Epidemic

July 8, 2017 by Dr. Tracy Bennett

Pia was 13-years-old when she cut herself for the first time. She was confused, lonely, and hopeless. Self-harm provided a distraction from her emotional pain and anchored her to her physicality amongst the numbness. She started with a tiny cut, ultimately inflicting deeper and deeper cuts. Even the hours anticipating cutting brought her comfort. She found a community of cutters on an online forum who provided support and caring while also encouraging more dangerous behaviors. She wasn’t alone with her shameful secret. But she wasn’t stopping either … Could your child end up like Pia?

Cutting

Cutting refers to self-harming practice distinct from a suicide attempt. Cutters typically make small superficial cuts on their arms, legs, or parts of the body easily concealable by clothing. Cutting distracts the individual from emotional pain, releases endorphins which may trigger a mood boost, and is often a cry for help rather than an intent to inflict lethal harm (Davis, 2005).

Dr. Bennett often treats teens and adults who self harm. I’ve also seen several cutting incidents working as a paramedic. Because the cutting ritual can take on profound meaning, some injuries are uncomfortably creative. For instance, I’ve seen kids cut shapes, patterns, words, and even sentences into their skin. When I interviewed Pia for this article, she showed me her first “masterpiece,” the word “HATE” cut into her right thigh.

Why cut?

Pia: “I remember a painful time in my childhood when my dad didn’t come home at night. My mom told me he had troubles at work, and that I shouldn’t be worried. But then it started to become a habit, and my dad would be gone most days of the week. I was really attached to him. I missed having a male role model and friend who could tell me what to do when there seemed to be no way out for me. When my parents got a divorce my world fell apart. I felt lonely, hopeless, sad, and misunderstood. I withdrew more and more, lost most of my friends, and started to become depressed. Since I wasn’t able to soothe my emotional pain on my own, I looked for answers online. That was when I found out about cutting.”

*
The most common reasons teens give for cutting are that they’re trying to make themselves “feel alive” instead of the numbness, or they’re trying to distract themselves from intense or overwhelming emotions such as anger or hurt (McCoy, 2009).
*

That was true for Pia. She wanted to have the control and power of harnessing pain whenever she wanted. She said that sometimes when she woke up in the morning, she felt nothing but emptiness. Cutting helped her “feel” her body again rather than just feeling intense emotional pain.

The controversial Netflix show 13 Reasons Why addresses self-harming behavior, with the main character ultimately committing suicide, leaving behind her audio-recorded 13 reasons “why”. The show was a huge success, with children of all ages binge-watching it over spring break without their parents’ consent. I wondered, if this show could be a danger to teens already on the edge?

During an interview for I-heart radio, Dr. Bennett referred to the show and stated that a majority of people have suicidal fantasies at one time or another. She suggested that 13 Reasons Why could trigger vulnerable teens. She lectured in our psychology class that she has seen self-harming behavior be quite contagious in schools and inpatient treatment settings, spreading from teen to teen quickly. Now the Internet is a source of cutting contagion.

Who cuts, and how common is it?

Cutting is a fairly common practice in the United States. There are about two million cases reported annually with approximately 15% of teens reporting some form of self-injury. Studies show an even higher risk for self-injury among college students, with rates ranging from 17%-35% (Mental Health America, 2013). One in five females and one in seven males have engaged in self-injury practices (Gluck, 2016). Ninety percent of people who engage in self-harming techniques start during their teen or pre-adolescent years (Gluck, 2016).

Did the Internet contribute to Pia’s cutting?

Pia: “I remember sitting at my desk. I was supposed to do homework but instead I Googled “how to deal with emotional pain.” Somehow I stumbled on a few websites which mentioned cutting. Pretty soon I was hooked, researching for hours and eventually finding a useful tutorial how to start my first cut.”

Experts say the Internet is the main contributor for teens to not only find out about the various methods of cutting but also to demonstrate or even glorify self-injury (Steinberg, 2014). Forums like “The Cutting-Board” encourage kids to share their concerns and questions about cutting and find useful expertise. Tips and tricks about how to hide their cuts, what do to if someone gets suspicious, or advice when cutting-goes wrong are popular posts. Furthermore, there are several YouTube tutorials of “how to cover up your scars after cutting,” like a video by 14-year-old Julia Ansell.

How to recognize that your child is cutting

Concealing clothes
If your child suddenly starts wearing long sleeves even during hot days, this could be a sign that she is hiding injuries or scars.

Behavioral changes
Social anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem are often comorbid with cutting (Davis, 2005). If your child starts isolating, eating more or eating less, sleeping more, acts lethargic, isn’t interested in his usual interests, or acts sad or irritable, keep an eye out for self mutilation practices.

Spending time browsing for information about self harm and visits on online forums
Kids often use secret terminology to hide their online activities from parents. Hashtag terms like #sue (a synonym for suicidal) or #secretsociety123 are popular code words to discreetly form online communities discussing self-harm (Yandoli, 2014). Sometimes pictures with these hashtags overlap with other self-harming techniques or mental disorders like anorexia (#ana) or depression (#deb).

Possession of cutting tools
Keep an eye out for sharp objects that may be used for cutting, piercing, or burning like razor blades, knives, paper clips, broken glass, scissors, needles, or lighters.

Cuts, bruises, burns, or scars
Kids will occasionally change methods or location if they fear detection. Escalation is rare but can become an issue. Dr. Bennett has treated clients with comorbid mental illness that went as far as breaking joints with a ball ping hammer or engaging in oddly ritualistic mutilation like the practice of suspension (piercing the skin with hooks and hanging from them).

What you can do for your child?

Be empathetic and sensitive
If you see evidence of intentional injury, ask about it in a straightforward, emotionally neutral manner. Of course share your concern, but be careful not to escalate the situation by panicking, threatening, or lecturing.

Be supportive and present for your child
Let your child know he or she can always come to you with any troubles, issues or concerns. Make yourself available and willing to talk when your child approaches, on her terms. Kids often avoid talking to their parents, because they’re afraid that they’ll lose their trust or add an additional stress factor to an already stressful situation, like going through a divorce or financial issues (Steinberg, 2014).

Express your emotions
Be authentic and present. Not only does this model appropriate communication strategies, but your child will recognize that he is loved and important. Tell him that you can get through this together.

Seek help and treatment
Cutting is often an expression of distress from mental disorders, like depression or anxiety. Consult a clinical psychologist who has specialized training with self harm behaviors. Not only can a clinician work with your child to achieve insight and build resilience by teaching emotional coping skills, but she can also provide much needed consult and support for family members. Often times kids will accept influence from a therapist even when they are dismissive of parenting support.

Thank you to CSUCI Intern, Lisa Sommer for writing this important piece. Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Self harm forums are common on the dark net. To find out more about that, check out Dr. Bennett’s article, GetKidsInternetSafe Sheds Light on the Dark Net: Drug Traffickers, Child Pornographers, and Nude Selfies.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

*Due to professional discretion, Pia is a fictional name.

Works Cited

Davis, J.L. (2005). Cutting and Self-Harm: Warning Signs and Treatment. WebMD, Retrieved April 23rd, 2017 from: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/cutting-self-harm-signs-treatment#1

Gluck, S. (2016). Self Injury, Self Harm Statistics and Facts. Healthy Place, retrieved April 24th, 2017 from: https://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/self-injury/self-injury-self-harm-statistics-and-facts/

McCoy, K. (2009). When Teenagers Cut Themselves. Everyday Health, retrieved April 23rd, 2017 from: http://www.everydayhealth.com/kids-health/when-teens-cut-themseleves.aspx

Steinberg, S., (2014). What to Do If Your Child Is Cutting. US News, retrieved April 24th, 2017 from: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/02/28/what-to-do-if-your-child-is-cutting

Krystie Lee Yandoli (2014). Inside The Secret World Of Teen Suicide Hashtags. For buzzfeed, retrieved April 30th, 2017 from https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/how-teens-are-using-social-media-to-talk-about-suicide?utm_term=.jtRrkE8Q9#.kpAzK8oX6

Photo Credits

Girl with a Razorblade, 2016 CC0 1.0

Girl on the Laptop, 2016 CC0 1.0

The Underworld of Hashtags: Does Your Teen’s Hashtags Hide a Secret?

April 2, 2017 by Dr. Tracy Bennett

Since the 2010 launching of the mobile app, Instagram, users share pictures and videos with their peers like never before. While this social media app provides a fun and convenient way to show off family photos and adorable pets, it can also be a source of worry for parents. Do you worry about who is viewing their child’s photos and what they are posting? If so, you’ll be happy to learn about the possible dangers of hashtags.

What are hashtags?

Hashtags are “#” symbols in front of words or short phrases that drop them into a posting page with the same tag. Sorting content this way allows others to see your picture and any other pictures that use the same hashtag if your social media profile is not set on private. Click on a hashtag phrase like “#Monday”, you would be directed to a page of #Monday photo collections from all Instagram photos tagged with #Monday from various user profiles.

Hashtags seem harmless, should I worry?

Most hashtags are used for fun and harmless sharing (#MomGoals, #GKIS). However, as with any social media trend, teens often use this tool to find and contribute to pages with explicit material. One way to hide this activity from parents is to use vague or shortcut terms.

An unfortunate example of this secret language is for pictures depicting images of self-harm (#cutting) and eating disorders (#mia, #ana). While some profiles provide helpful information to help empower those in distress, others overtly encourage self-destructive behaviors. These online communities are commonly known to share detailed techniques and strategies, provide emotional support, and serve as a launch pad for online friendships. In my clinical practice, these relationships often spiral into emotionally dependent and frequently abusively manipulative pairings that remain hidden and are resistant to protective parent intervention.

Hashtags are used on most social media sites, including Instagram, Twitter, and Tumbler (Whitlock, 2009 & Nock, 2010, as cited in Moreno, 2015). Although many kids go looking for these forums after they’ve already experimented with concerning behaviors, others get started this way (Seko, 2011, as cited in Moreno, 2015).

Until social media sites improve the strength of their content advisory, parents must keep their children safe from viewing explicit content.

Instagram now has a content advisory that pops up and warns users of content that might be graphic and even provides resources for help with eating disorders and links to helplines. However, just as kids are great at creating sharable online resources, they are also great at staying hidden from parental interference. For example, in a 2015 study that identified similar hashtag meanings on multiple social media sites, vague and hard to identify hashtags including “#mysecretfamily”, “#blithe”, “#Bella” or “#Ben” (a term used for Borderline Personality Disorder), “#Ana” or “#Rex” (used to reference Anorexia), and “#Sue” or “#Dallas” (terms for suicide) (Moreno, 2015). Only a portion of these hashtag terms generated a content advisory warning.

GKIS TIPS for protecting your children from viewing destructive online content:

Check out social media site help centers for information. For example, Instagram’s help center provides downloadable privacy and safety guides for parents, teens, and gives information and resources for addressing abuse and eating disorders.

Make sure that your child’s social media profiles are set on private.

Have open conversations about what your children view and post online. Remind them that they can talk to you if they do accidently view images, post, or receive something that makes them uncomfortable. No blame, no shame.

By opening up nonjudgmental conversations about what your child may view on social media and mental health issues, you model healthy communication skills, promote stigma free views on mental health, and most importantly, develop a positive and loving relationship between you and your child. If you feel they are too young for these discussions, then they’re too young for social media.

Parenting can be incredibly difficult at times. Parenting a teen struggling with painful psychological issues is particularly scary. In situations like these, many aren’t sure where to turn or what to do. As a psychologist and a mom, I want to remind you that you are not alone. Whether your concerns are about Internet safety or getting a better understanding of where your psychological issues your child may be dealing with, GetYourKidsInternetSafe is here as your resource.

Thank you to CSUCI Intern, Brooke Vandenbosch for teaching us about the #RisksofHashTags. If you’re looking to get a better understanding of issues your teen may be struggling with like suicidal ideation, check out my other article The Death of Robin Williams: Suicidal Impulse, the Media, and Your Obligation As a Compassionate Citizen of the Planet.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetYourKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,
Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Photo Credits

I Died So I Couldn’t Haunt You, CC BY-ND 2.0

Holding Hands, CC BY-NC 2.0

Works Cited

Moreno, A.M., Ton, A., Selkie, E., & Evans, Y. (2015). Secret Society 123: Understanding the Language of Self-Harm on Instagram. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58, 78-84

Is My Selfie Good Enough? How Screen Media Drives Beauty Pressures That Distress Kids and Teens

January 3, 2017 by Dr. Tracy Bennett

A selfie is a self-portrait shared on texts or social media for attention-seeking, communication, documenting one’s day, and entertainment.[1] The term was first seen in 2002, but didn’t become popular until 2012. By 2013 The Oxford English Dictionary named it “The Word of the Year.”[2] We’ve all been guilty of taking selfies. But it takes education and practice to use good judgment. Today’s GKIS article asks, “Are selfies bad for our mental health?”

Celebrity Selfies

With ads on social and print media, billboards, and television, kids and teens are exposed to thousands of images and videos every day. And, it isn’t obvious how filtered, lighted, contoured, surgically and cosmetically altered, and digitally enhanced the photos are. They aren’t a quick, natural snapshot. They are highly produced and stylized. Kim Kardashian proudly shared that she once took 6,000 selfies during a four-day vacation. Her celebrity sister, Kylie Jenner, also admitted that it sometimes takes up to 500 photos before she gets the right shot.

With such exposure, kids are encouraged to scrutinize their appearance, striving to develop and refine the “perfect” face and body.3 Hyper-sexualized selfies further serve as a negative influence. One can easily get roped into hyper focusing on looks and attracting “likes” and comments as a reflection of worth and popularity.

Selfie Editing Apps

Makeup and selfie editor apps are very commonly used and include features to:

Change eye color
“Slim and trim to selfie perfection”
Enlarge features
Shrink the nose
Plump the lips
Enhance facial contours
And even offer hundreds of pupil templates “to make your eyes look beautiful.”

Apps also offer combo features that turn your image into cartoon perfection. For example, the “fairy filter” on Snapchat can change your selfie in multiple ways at once, making your eyes larger and gleaming bright while also smoothing out the skin and whitening teeth.

The Beauty, Fashion, and Health and Fitness Industries

Selfie alteration isn’t motivated simply by entertainment. A far more sinister reason often lurks behind the manipulation of young minds, namely profit.

Each year the beauty industry boasts a profit of 42 billion dollars.[10] Add that to the 30 billion dollars brought in by fashion, health, and fitness and the big business of advertising on social media, and one can imagine the lengths corporations will go to manipulate buyers into buying.[4] The worse we feel about ourselves, the more we buy products to “fix” us.

Do we adopt unrealistic attractiveness standards?

In the past twenty years, anxiety and depression have been rising at an alarming rate. The rates of mental health issues among women have particularly jumped.[5] Social media and the pursuit of perfection are likely contributors.

Not only can media exposure lead to mood issues, but body distortion and eating disorder issues are also on the rise.[7] Forty to 60% of elementary school girls report having concerns about weight.[8]

Body shaming among peers starts young and peaks during adolescence. Both males and females engage in shaming, but they do it differently. Males tend to be more directly aggressive, while females shame through passive-aggressive means like gossip and cyberbullying.[9]

Body image issues can lead to excessive use of diet and exercise products and potentially lead to clinical eating disorders. In the United States alone, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life.[6] Even with awareness and education, prevalence numbers continue to rise.

How can we protect our kids from unhealthy self-perception and distorted body image?

Love and compliment your kids loudly and unapologetically for all they are! This includes their worthiness of love just for being the “perfect,” nondigitally enhanced them.

Reinforce that the self is made up of far more facets than a beautiful face. Likes, interests, skills, and traits make up what’s important about a person, not eye size and hair color.

Discuss the fact that we will be hanging out with our bodies for the long haul, which means we must treat our bodies as our best friends rather than our enemies.

Lead by example. Do you voice your disapproval about your face or body aloud to your kids? If you do, they too will follow suit about themselves. Instead, be loud and proud of the woman or man you are today. Value yourself just as you would like your daughter or son to value themselves.

Implement healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise habits and explain why that is so important for strength and health. I prefer to focus on words like “delicious” and “nourishing” for healthy food to highlight lifestyle factors and frame nutritious food options as a treat, rather than words like “diet,” “cleanse,” or “cheat” that focus on junk food as treats and healthy foods as punishment while aggrandizing shaming fads.

Remind your teen that what they see on social media and in ads isn’t always the real deal. Take an Internet browsing journey with them researching this topic by searching “photoshop hacks” or looking up Jean Kilbourne’s ground-breaking work in this area with her “Killing Us Softly” video series. A must-see!

Thank you to CSUCI Intern, Brooke Vandenbosch for her contributions to this important article! Wonder if only girls are susceptible to body image risk to mental health? Check out, “Body Shame and the Average American Male” for a discussion about how boys are increasingly affected as well.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Works Cited

1 – Sung, Y. , Lee, J. , Kim, E. , & Choi, S. (2016). Why we post selfies: Understanding motivations for posting pictures of oneself. Personality and Individual Differences, 97, 260-265.

2 – https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2013

3 – Boon, S. and Lomore, C. (2001), Admirer-celebrity relationships among young adults.. Human Communication Research, 27: 432–465.

4 – Cosmetic & Beauty Products manufacturing in the U.S: Market Research Report. (2016, September). Retrieved December 07, 2016, from http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=499

5 -Press Association Newswire (2014). ‘Very High Rates of Anxiety and Depression for Young Women. Newsquest Media Group.

6 – Wade, T., Keski -Rahkonen A., & Hudson J. (2011). Epidemiology of eating disorders. In M. Tsuang and M. Tohen (Eds.), Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology (3rd ed.) (pp. 343 – 360). New York: Wiley.

7 – Leit, R. (2002). “The Media’s Representation of the Ideal Male Body: A Cause for Muscle Dysmorphia?” International Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 334–338., doi:10.1002/eat.10019.

8 – Smolak, L. (2011). Body image development in childhood. In T. Cash & L. Smolak (Ed s.),Body Image: A Handbook of Science, Practice, and Prevention (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

9 – Aslund, C., Starrin, B., Leppert, J., & Nilsson, K. (2009). “Social Status and Shaming Experiences Related to Adolescent Overt Aggression at School.” Aggressive Behavior 35.1: 1-13. Web.

10 – Gym, Health & Fitness Clubs in the U.S: Market Research Report. (2016, October). Retrieved December 07, 2016, from http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1655

Photo Credits

Mirror by Allen Sky, CC BY 2.0

Mirror by Tif Pic, CC BY-ND 2.0

This is a MUST WATCH with your daughters and your sons!