社交媒體與青少年焦慮

With kids digital well-being a concern， researchers are exploring potential links between social media and the rise in tech addiction and loss of real-life social skills.

Some research has observed a relationship between social media use and anxiety in kids， but its difficult to know whether social media is causing anxiety or kids who are anxious are turning to social media as a way to soothe themselves or seek support. How kids use social media matters， too： Social comparison and feedback-seeking behaviors have been associated with depressive symptoms， which often co-occur with anxiety.

Here are some tips for keeping social media a positive for kids.

Self-care. Seeing photos of a trip to the beach your friends didnt invite you to can really sting. If you are super bummed or tired of digital drama， take a break from social media for a while.

Put social media in perspective. People post stuff that makes their lives look perfect—not the homework struggles， or the fight they had with their dad. In fact social media leaves the messy stuff out—and that everyone has ups and downs.

Do offline activities. Some kids could spend their days lying around looking at Weibo， but you should realize its doubly important to cultivate your inner lives. Prompt yourself to balance social media with soul-nourishing activities such as hobbies， exercise， reading， and helping others.

隨著青少年的數字健康成為父母關注的焦點，研究人員試圖探索社交媒體與青少年科技成癮以及缺失現實社交技能之間的潛在聯系。

有些研究已觀察到社交媒體的使用與青少年焦慮之間存在著關系，但很難弄清楚究竟是社交媒體導致焦慮，還是患有焦慮的青少年為了尋求安慰或支持而使用社交媒體。青少年使用社交媒體的方式也很重要：社交攀比和希冀反饋等行為與抑郁癥狀相關，這些癥狀通常伴隨著焦慮。

下面是一些讓社交媒體對青少年產生積極影響的建議。

自我關愛。看到好朋友去沙灘旅行的照片，而你卻未曾受到邀請，那確實很難受。如果你對“數字鬧劇”感到沮喪或厭倦，暫時遠離社交媒體。

正視社交媒體。很多人會發一些照片，營造一種完美生活的“假象”——而不是受家庭作業的困擾，或是與父親爭吵。事實上，社交媒體拋開了生活中的雜亂面——而那是每個人都會經歷的起起伏伏。

參與線下活動。一些青少年可以躺一整天刷微博，但你應該意識到培養內心世界更加重要。鼓勵自己在社交媒體和滋養靈魂的活動（比如培養愛好、鍛煉、閱讀和幫助別人）之間取得平衡。

Word Study

soothe /su??/ v. 安慰

The music soothed her for a while.

prompt /pr?mpt/ v. 鼓勵;促使

She was too nervous to speak and had to be prompted.