As we are entering this upcoming election cycle, I am reminded of my previous career as a social studies teacher. Every day my students and I would discuss historical world events and how those events impact today’s realities. For most of the events, students seemed disconnected and unbothered, but as we progressed through the curriculum and headed closer to present-day incidents, student distress seemingly increased. This generation of adults appears to be experiencing on a large scale something like that of my former seventh graders – the media has an impact on our collective mental health.
This generation of young folks has had more direct exposure via media to more life-altering and threatening world events than any other living generation. Young adults today have been inundated with media on multiple recessions, a worldwide pandemic, social strife, and the attempted assassination of a former political leader. Creators on social media platforms are quick to meme any big headline and co-opt it for laughs around the country. It leads me to wonder what impact on mental health this may have in the future.
Researchers have been curious about the rise of mental health disorders, the impact of the continuous news cycle, and social media’s influence for at least two decades now. Goodwin and colleagues (2020) concluded that from 2008 to 2018 there was a significant increase of anxiety in young adults of all socioeconomic backgrounds and called for more research into this phenomenon. A 2023 Gallup poll also indicated an increased rate of depressive symptoms among young adults in the last decade (Witters, 2023).
Social media has also become a contentious issue. As more and more young people choose to spend large parts of their day scrolling through social media content, one must wonder about the impact on an individuals overall wellness- or lack-thereof. With content ranging from photos of a long-distance friend’s new baby to gruesome video footage of horrific world news, the impact may be hard to decipher and dependent upon an individual’s experience and frequency of consumption. It has been reported that American adults are stressed about the future of our country and that this stress has been exacerbated by the constant interactions with headlines (Huff, 2022). Huff (2023) also notes that for children, who may lack the cognitive development to process this level of stressful information, can especially be impacted negatively by the media and news cycle. Rapid mood fluctuations, increased tantrums, and avoiding groups and crowds of people are just a few ways that our children express mental health challenges.
As a mental health counselor for people of a wide variety of backgrounds and ages, I see firsthand the impact of the news and social media on mental health on a daily basis. With each event broadcasted, debated, and memed, more and more clients come into session worried about what their and their loved one’s futures with look like. Clients often worry about bringing up these stressors for fear of offending, but what is important in the therapeutic space is to always provide a space for clients to share what they are feeling and thinking. At Pacifica Counseling and Psychiatry, we aim to offer a compassionate, nonjudgmental stance that allows space for the processing of all types of distress.
If you’re struggling to cope during this political season or manage your day-to-day life, we are here for you. Reach out today via phone, email, or through the Contact tab above.
Huff, C. (2022, November 1). Media overload is hurting our mental health. Here are ways to manage headline stress. Monitor on Psychology, 53(8). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/11/strain-media-overload(opens in a new tab)
Goodwin, R. D., Weinberger, A. H., Kim, J. H., Wu, M., & Galea, S. (2020). Trends in anxiety among adults in the United States, 2008-2018: Rapid increases among young adults. Journal of psychiatric research, 130, 441–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.08.014(opens in a new tab)
Witters, D. (2023, May 17). U.S. depression rates reach new highs. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-new-highs.aspx(opens in a new tab)
