Social media crisis sees kids diagnosing own mental health problems

An alarming rise in children self-diagnosing mental conditions through Google and competing with peers online and in the school grounds over who is worse off has left experts deeply worried.

An alarming rise in children self-diagnosing themselves as mentally ill via Google then competing with peers over who is worse off has experts deeply ­worried.

Growing numbers of students as young as eight are complaining of depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and ADHD.

Some are posting their amateur diagnoses to social media ­before telling their parents.

Leading child psychiatrist Dr Philip Tam warned of an ­“impending crisis” fuelled by ­social media which had caused children to be disconnected from their parents.

Child psychiatrist Dr Philip Tam warns of an “impending crisis” of children self diagnosing fuelled by social media.

“Kids are posting their diagnoses on social media, or tweeting, saying they’re cutting themselves so their friends know about it ­before their parents. Social media is poisoning a whole generation of people,” Dr Tam said.

“Children talk about depression, anxiety, ADHD, ADD and eating disorders, without often knowing what they mean, they’re Doctor Googling their symptoms.

“I see parents who are immensely caring and self-sacrificing but cannot connect to their children who rely on social media for parenting and to form their identity. That’s why mental illness is on the rise among schoolchildren.

“The internet is bombarding them with messages the teenage brain is not equipped to handle, it’s creating this badge of honour among teenagers competing for mental health illnesses.”

Paulina Skerman with students at Santa Sabina College. Picture: Supplied

The NSW Teachers’ Federation found in October 99 per cent of principals reported an ­increase in students with mental stress issues in the past three years.

UNICEF Australia found the proportion of 13- to 17-year-olds who feel their ability to cope well with life almost halved from 81 per cent to 45 per cent from the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sydney educational and developmental psychologist Dr Rose Cantali has this year alone seen a doubling of distressed students aged eight upwards asking for psychological support.

“Most are serious and others have developed mental health symptoms to fit in with their peers,” she said.

“There appears to be a serious competitiveness in the school grounds about who has the worst symptoms. These young people are acting like psychologists and often become very distressed with the emotional burden.”

Education and developmental child psychologist Rose Cantali says young people are acting like psychologists and becoming distressed with the emotional burden.

The hike in mental illness in the state’s schools comes as the NSW Government invests $88.4 million over four years to provide 100 full-time school counsellors to public high schools and $46 million for 100 full-time school nurses. The NSW Government will provide a fly-in fly-out psychology and telepsychology service of 16 permanent senior psychologists to support students in regional NSW.

Santa Sabina College has this year rolled out a wellbeing program to boost social, emotional and physical resilience.

“We worry about how young children are when they present with anxiety or social emotional issues that in the past were not in the forefront,” principal Paulina Skerman said.

“It’s important that we educate young people and their families about having a bad day, and having diagnosed anxiety and ­depression can be very different things.”

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