About Technology and Teen suicides

Technology enables the distribution of consumer information to various individuals using a forum known as social media. In conjunction with technology, social media made use of internet-based software, blogs, and forums. Facebook, Twitter, BlogSpot, and YouTube are a few examples. The information posted on social media may cause harm to a person or may help to foster healthier relationships among the users of such content. According to estimates, nearly 1 million suicides are registered annually, with approximately 30,000 suicide-related deaths reported in the United States of America (Aboujaoude, et al. 11). The content that is shared amongst various websites has a major significance and relationship with suicides. The type of searches that are often made through the social media and the first sites that offer information on the search content may facilitate the suicidal behavior. For example, in a given study, searches for the terms best suicide methods, how to kill yourself and suicide generates the first ten websites that are pro-suicide (MacKay 3). Many teens in the modern world prefer to get their information from the social media, thus, the negative influence that they receive which may contribute to them taking away their individual lives. Further data that has been drawn from the Pediatric Academic Societies affirm that there has been an increase in the number of teens admitted to hospitals with self-harm and thoughts of suicide cases. Majority of such teen who is admitted in the health facilities admit to having drawn their influence from the social media and the technological gadgets such as phones that they use to communicate with their peers. In the United States of America, suicide is a significant killer amongst teens and ranks behind car accidents and homicides which take up position one and two respectively.

Role of technology in promoting teen suicides

Technology has made the world a global village as it enables the access and transmission of information over a large geographical area to a more significant population. This is a benefit as it enhances communication and feeling of connectedness among individuals. It can also be a challenge as it may infringe on one’s privacy and causes issues with cyberbullying leading to depression (Clinkenbeard 34). Development of technology has led to the creation of social media. These are computer facilitated technologies that enable communication such as distribution and creation of information and ideas. Social media involves the creation of specific user profiles that an individual may use to access the social media services. It, therefore, connects users to the particular social networks by linking their profiles to the other users. It can be accessed through desktops, laptops and mobile phone devices. Examples of the social media platforms include Facebook, Snapchat, Myspace Instagram and Twitter among others (Ruedy 323). The effect of social media in relationships is that it serves the purpose of making an individual have a sense of belonging. It provides an instant audience and takes away feelings of loneliness. It has led to individuals substituting real-life connections with the social media connections. It thus impacts negatively on their real-life interpersonal relationships. Social media friendships cannot form and nurture long-lasting emotional closeness. This is because individuals tend only to reveal their best characteristics while hiding their insecurities and weaknesses while interacting on social media. Social media also promotes narcissism as more people become more self-centered. The number of followers that one has on social media sites impacts directly on their level of self-esteem. It affects real-life relationships as people are always glued to their electronic devices as they use social media and therefore, do not pay any attention to real-life relationships.

Social media has been blamed for the rising number of teen suicide globally. Teens are more pre-occupied with social media, which separates them from reality. They also put great emphasis on their social media accounts where the number of followers one has and the likes that one gets determines how they view themselves as individuals (Clinkenbeard 39). The increase in suicide among teens can be attributed to the advertisement of suicides cases and the teens being influenced by them. By popularizing the social media posts and videos on deaths, it makes it appealing to the younger generation to seek it as an alternative. Contributions on issues related to suicide regarding peer pressure to commit suicide, the creation of suicide pacts and idolizing of people who have committed suicide makes it appealing to the teenagers, therefore, giving rise to suicide incidences. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are examples of the causes linked to the increase in suicide by teenagers.

Bullying initially was only made possible by being in contact physically, however, due to the rise of online technology bullying has become rampant. Cyberbullying is a situation in which an individual who is usually a child or teenager is targeted, threatened and repeatedly harassed by another individual or group of teenagers resulting in humiliation and emotional distress. This can be done through emails, instant messages, texting and social media networking sites. It occurs in the form of rumors, gossips and reputation attacks that lead to ruined relationships, depression, anxiety, and emotional distress and in extreme cases suicide. For example, the fact of Amanda Todd involves cyberbullying which resulted in death. It is a case of an a15-year-old Canadian teenager who was harassed online by a man she met on online chat room leading to a ruined reputation which destroyed her relationship with the peers (MacKay 3). The harassment involved threats to release controversial pictures of her if she did not do as the cyberbully ordered. The cyberbullying impacted both her social life and education as she had to change school and towns severally. In an attempt to deal with the bullying, she attempted suicide by drinking of bleach. After which she was hospitalized, and the cyberbullying got only worse as a large number of her peers through social media wished she had died and some even went to the extent of asking her to do a successful suicide the next time. All these events led to her depression which made her suicidal. These cyber bullies encouraged her to commit suicide which she eventually did. It can be seen that her suicide was directly related to the online bullying which she was enduring. Cyber harassment is the online harassment involving adults.

Technology has also led to the rise of teen suicides through game challenges like the Blue Whale Challenge. This is an internet game that involves the participants committing various self-harm challenges over a period of 50 days that are assigned to them by a curator. On the 50th day, the participant is urged to commit suicide to win the challenge. The game is meant to influence the immature teenagers to commit suicide. The game is a form of online manipulation that preys on the self- esteem of the individual thus causing them to commit self-harm and eventually death. The Blue whale challenged takes advantage of the low cognitive development of the teens to influence them into doing things that they cannot rationally do. For example, cutting themselves, killing something to eventually taking away their lives is a challenge that is premised on the low cognitive capability of the teenagers. The exclusion of the children from their peers and their inability to exterminate the negative influence that the game brings about is the sole reason why the game thrives in many parts of the world.

The case of technology and teen suicide is an emerging public health issue that has attracted the input of hospital; administrations and the government agencies, within the hospitals, teen admissions for any conditions often tend to analyze the social environment, the worldview of the teen and his or her family history (Feuer and Jennifer 724). The three mentioned factors play a crucial role in the health condition that the child may be going through and can be used to deduce if the teen has any suicide thoughts that are inhabited in him or her. In Hamilton County, for example, the affirmed cases of teen suicides in 2014 and 2015 are 18 and five respectively, thus, confirming the severity of the issue.

Technology provides the principal foundation for cyberbullying. According to research, cyberbullying leads to a disconnect between a child and his or her social cycle, such as the parents, teachers, and peers. The disconnect further leads to the loneliness that the child may experience. Such may also lead to the thoughts of committing suicide that the child may later develop. The graphic content that many kids tend to have access to may lead to the suicidal ideas that they may manage to acquire. Information available over the internet is a significant influence on the behavior that the teens are likely to develop. Having information on how a teen may harm his or herself could lead to an impact whereby a child makes the decision to hurt or may kill himself.

According to studies, many teens are addicted to cellphones. The addiction contributes to the positive and negative influences that they may receive from using such electronic gadgets. The most crucial aspects of the cell phone technology that needs to be looked into are the features of the cellphones to which the teens are addicted to the intention of determining how such may relate to the teen suicides. According to research, cell phone addiction amongst teen is associated with some of the negative traits that they tend to acquire such high harm avoidance, inadequate socialization with peers, low self-esteem and a small sense of cooperation with their peers.

Cell phone use had deleterious effects to a teen. Teens are often addicted to over texting and such may lead to teen tendonitis. The condition is associated with chronic pains in the neck, hands, and back of the teen owing to the poor posture that they adopt. Additionally, the lack of socialization while texting too much could lead to stress and in extreme cases result in some psychological disorders as an individual is alienated from his or her peers. Cyberbullying often contributes to the stress that the teens have to face in their routine lives. The cyberbullying is usually advanced by people or individual whom they might not personally know, and such may further contribute to the stress that they have to face in their routine lives online.

Technology, through cyberbullying, is contributory to some mood disorders that are known to cause depression in an individual. The depression is what results in an individual deciding to take away his or her life. The case of Amanda Todd is one notable example of how cyberbullying has been a causative factor in the suicide rates that have been reported amongst youths and tee in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (MacKay 3).

Bullying is the major contributing factor to the teen suicides that are witnessed. More than a million children tend to miss school annually due to bullying. Additionally, harassment is currently rampant online owing to the increased use of technological gadgets such as computers and cell phones, thus, reducing the face to face interaction amongst different teens. More than a third of teens who have access to the internet have reported cases and incidences of them being bullied (Brown 179). Such affirms the justification for researching the contribution that technology may have on the teen suicide rates, especially in the United States of America. The negative influence that technology has to the teens is premised on their low cognitive development. According to studies, full cognitive development of a human being is realized when he or she is of the age 21 to 24 (Romero, et al 161). Therefore, the inability of the teens to handle the pressures that emanate from the social media is justified by their low cognitive development. There are also reported gender differences about cyberbullying. Girls are more prone to take away their lives compared to boys when it comes to cyberbullying. Online aggression has been affirmed to take a higher toll on female gender owing to their susceptibility to emotional attack.

Role of Technology in tackling suicide amongst teens

The development of technological applications through eHealth platforms enables the depressed tens to have access to the mental health services. eHealth increases accessibility to care, especially, for health conditions which may have a negative impact on the health of an individual. The use of video calls and online prescription of medicine enables one to have access to quality medical care that helps in the treatment of the condition which the teen may be going through. The online self-help tools that have been developed in the form of mobile application take up the model of cognitive behavioral therapy that is highly effective in enabling the patient to address the depression and anxiety issue that they may be facing.

Online policing needs to understand the lingo used by the teens for communication. For example, LGH, LH6, BPLM, and KPC mean let’s get high, let’s have sex, big person little man and keeping parents clueless. The understanding of the type of language that is utilized by the teens enables one to decode the information that they share online. Such could further help in averting the suicide attempts that the kids may develop (Yang 1761). The society also has a role to play in avoiding the negative influence that many teenagers draw from technology. The gap between parents and teens need to be bridged. There is need to ensure that teens have assistance in handling the pressures that may be attributed to social media. The society also needs to develop online social support networks that can be used in offering help to the potential victims of cyberbullying.

Conclusion

In conclusion, technology may catalyze the suicide behavior and also enable one to identify the prevailing trends and remedies that may be undertaken to stop the vice. The social media could allow one to have a better understanding of the commitment that a teen makes towards committing suicide. Some of the most common factors include calling people or messaging them to tell them goodbye, becoming calm after going through depression, the posts that a teen makes on the social media, such as, feeling the need and the intention to ide. Additionally, the preparation that a child goes to commit suicide should also be closes watched to avert some likely suicidal behavior. For example, trends such as the acquisition of firearms and gathering information on the peaceful ways of committing suicide are trends that need to be analyzed to avert any likelihood of a teen killing him or herself. The social media requires establishing the suicide crisis help lines that address the concerns and the needs that may be brought about by the teens attempting suicide. However, there is need to establish long-term on the effectiveness of the technological tool in addressing teen suicides to affirm the extent to which technology may be useful in treating mental health issues amongst teenagers. The significant barriers to the teens accessing mental health services are stigma and resources that can be used to develop learning aids that are easily accessible to the teens. Notably, there is need to ensure that the teens know the digital tools that they may access to have effective control measures to any form of depression that they may develop. The government authorities also need to play the role of prevention of cyberbullying through criminalization and sensitization. There is need to educate teens of the penalties that they may face once they have been identified as the victims of the cyberbullying. In the recommendation, cyberbullying needs to be categorized as a capital offense to ensure that there is a decrease in the cases of cyberbullying that are reported annually. The administrators of the mobile phone operating system and cybercrime departments of the government need to access the games and mobile applications before granting access to the public to access or utilize the content that they tend to share (Feuer and Jennifer 724). Mobile-based applications such as Blue Whale have been a leader of deaths throughout the world owing to the high level of addiction that is evident amongst the majority of its users. The burning of such application that promotes suicidal thoughts is a significant measure that can be used to lower the rates of suicide amongst teens. Therefore, limiting the extent to which children may have access to the technological devices is crucial in averting potential loss of lives owing to cyberbullying.



Works Cited

Aboujaoude, Elias, et al. "Cyberbullying: Review of an old problem gone viral." Journal of adolescent health 57.1 (2015): 10-18.

Brown, William Patrick. Changing dynamics of media guidelines for suicide reporting in the age of instant messaging. Diss. Gonzaga University, 2016.

Clinkenbeard, Paige E. Teen suicide and other destructive behaviors in contemporary young adult literature: The subjects, the literature, and what it means for educators. Diss. Purdue University, 2016.

Feuer, Vera, and Jennifer Havens. "Teen suicide: fanning the flames of a public health crisis." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 56.9 (2017): 723-724.

MacKay, A. Wayne. "Law as an Ally or Enemy in the War on Cyberbullying: Exploring the Contested Terrain of Privacy and Other Legal Concepts in the Age of Technology and Social Media." UNBLJ 66 (2015): 3.

Romero, Andrea J., et al. "Latina teen suicide and bullying." Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 35.2 (2013): 159-173.

Ruedy, Matthew C. "Repercussions of a myspace teen suicide: Should anti-cyberbullying laws be created." NCJL & Tech. 9 (2007): 323.

Yang, Leo. "Fabian Saleh and Albert Grudzinskas (Eds.): Adolescent Sexual Behavior in the Digital Age: Considerations for Clinicians, Legal Professionals and Educators." Journal of Youth and Adolescence 44.7 (2015): 1461.

Deadline is approaching?

Wait no more. Let us write you an essay from scratch

Receive Paper In 3 Hours
Calculate the Price
275 words
First order 15%
Total Price:
$38.07 $38.07
Calculating ellipsis
Hire an expert
This discount is valid only for orders of new customer and with the total more than 25$
This sample could have been used by your fellow student... Get your own unique essay on any topic and submit it by the deadline.

Find Out the Cost of Your Paper

Get Price