A report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, has warned that young people who spend lengthy periods on social media sites are at risk of "Facebook depression," according to The Associated Press.
The AAP has issued a new clinical report, “The Impact of Social Media Use on Children, Adolescents and Families,” which described both the negative and positive effects of social media use on youth and families.
Facebook currently has more than 500 million active users, and 11.1% of these are under 18 years of age. Approximately 22% of teenagers use their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day.
Gwenn O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP, co-author of the clinical report, says that for some youth their social media interaction takes precedence over face-to-face interaction.
“A large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones," she wrote in the report.
"Facebook is where all the teens are hanging out now. It's their corner store."
While there are many benefits of social media participation, the report also highlights some dangers including cyberbullying, social anxiety, severe isolation, and what O'Keeffe identifies as Facebook depression.
"Acceptance by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents," the report asserts.
The number of Facebook friends, status updates and photos of happy people are some of the factors contributing to feelings of social isolation and depression - emotions similar to sitting alone in a school playground.
Rhett Smith, a therapist and part-time pastor to youth and families, said that the latest AAP report confirms what he and many others have been thinking.
"One of the glaring paradoxes in my use of technology/social media, is that it has both the ability to make me feel connected and intimate with others, while at the same time feeling isolated, alienated and lonely," he wrote in a blog post.
"Has all the technology relationally disconnected us in a sense, replacing the processes (befriending, getting to know each other, sharing life, etc.), where instead we just value the end results (number of followers, blog traffic, etc.)?"
The AAP cautions that youths who do suffer from Facebook depression could turn to risky Internet sites for help – sites that promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.
"Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children’s online world – and comfortably parent in that world," O'Keeffe warned.