The Impact of Media on Teen Depression

Between pills that calm them down, to pills that pep them up, modern-day youth are arguably the most medicated of all preceding generations. If you don’t believe this, try to find just one teenager without a prescription bottle on their person. By today’s standards, that would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Out of all the pills at their disposal, many teens are being prescribed anti-depressants that were unknown 10 years earlier. Why the sudden need? What changed from one generation to the next?

The short answer is the media.

What Today’s Media Does

Compared to a mere 10 years ago, today’s media puts astounding pressure on youth, especially girls. Flip on the television, and you’re fed images of super-skinny women with perfect hair and fake body parts. Their barely-there clothing is the finishing touch on their seductive attire, and they always get their man. What message does this send to our teenage girls?

Put plainly, it tells them they’re not good enough. They’re brainwashed into believing that the only way to be valuable is to look and act like the images on screen. When they’re unable to do so, their self-esteem takes a hit, and teen depression kicks in.

What Parents Can Do

While it’s impossible to shelter your teen daughter from the influences surrounding her, there are some steps you can take to instill within her a sense of value and worth:

• Utilize the parental controls on your television and Internet. You won’t be able to block every piece of racy material, but you’ll have some effect.
• Tell your daughter she looks nice, and do it often.
• Compliment her accomplishments, big and small.
• Keep her active. If all she does is sit in front of the television or computer, give her some chores to do, or sign her up for an activity. From there, require her to participate.
• Take some one-on-one time with you and your teen daughter. Go see a movie, or grab some lunch together.
• Take a vested interest in her life. Ask her how school’s going, even if she acts as though she doesn’t want to talk.

As parents, you possess a medicine that’s better than any anti-depressant, and that’s the medicine of love. Use it to make sure she knows how wonderful she already is.

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Angie Woodward is a Registered Nurse in Wyoming and is the founder and owner/director of Trinity Teen Solutions, Inc. TTS is a licensed Christian Boarding School for troubled teen girls and their families. Call 307-645-3384 for a free consultation.

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