Why are more young people killing themselves?
May 15, 2017, 4:17 PM
(Jared Keener, Flickr)
There is an increasing trend of young people killing themselves. Now, I know the media likes to present things as clickbait and a lot of this is tied to social media.
A Russian man invented a game called “The Blue Whale” and, apparently, he is proud that he has created a game that has resulted in players killing themselves. Possibly 160 young people have committed suicide because of this game. If this is all true, the creator of it is a monster.
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Puberty seems to be a strong tie to those that have killed themselves, but seasonality seems to be playing a part in this as well. When school is out, the rate of suicide slows down.
Kids always seem to gravitate to the side of the “bully” more than the one being bullied. And there is also the illusion that everyone else in the world is becoming famous via social media. But it’s just not true. Young people don’t carefully analyze these things through, and don’t see the reality of what is going on.
It’s easy for a young person to feel bullied and a bit like a loser because it seems like everyone else is becoming a success and getting famous.
I don’t think we can stop kids from using social media, but I think we need to talk compassionately to them about the facts. We should show them the small percentage of people who achieve fame from social media. And show them how quickly they are forgotten by the world if they kill themselves.
Not by their parents, though, they will be affected by their suicide forever.
As always, please listen to the full audio clip for complete context.