Social media have reportedly been having some negative health and emotional effects on teens with the rocketing cases of cyber bullying and pornography. But this recent study found that new media can actually be of help to troubled teens.
In a recent study published in Journal of Adolescent Health, secret social media hashtags such as #selfharmmm suggests that new media technology can actually be of big help to teens in sharing certain dangerous behaviors more easily, Fox News reports Thursday.
Dr. Megan Moreno, specialist in adolescent medicine at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Research Institute said that the online communities that develop within these hashtags can draw in teens and provide them a strong sense of belongingness and support that is centered on these dangerous behaviors. "This can make recovery from these behaviors more challenging," Dr. Moreno added.
Dr. Moreno and her colleagues surveyed through popular photo-sharing application Instagram the hashtag, #selfharmmm to identify public posts that may relate to destructive habits like cutting and burning.
Use of #selfharmmm in social media grew, generating 1.7 million search results back in 2014 and over more than 2.4 million in 2015, while #SecretSociety123 grew by approximately 500,000 search results.
Other ambiguous hashtags that contain images pertaining to destructive behaviours and mental conditions like depression and teen angst are #blithe, #MySecretFamily and #SecretSociety123 and those tagged with names such as #Deb for depression, #Annie for anxiety, and #Olive for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
However, the findings has limitations and suggest that parents can't still rely on new media to provide safe places for their children. The study also highlights the need for parents to be open and proactive in communicating with their children about their online experiences, said Dr. Moreno.
Since the study is limited to self harm, another study was conducted that focuses on eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.
