社交媒体与青少年焦虑
作者：
来源：《时代英语·高一》2020年第02期

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
it’s 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 didn’t 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 it’s 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.

随着青少年的数字健康成为父母关注的焦点，研究人员试图探索社交媒体与青少年科技成
瘾以及缺失現实社交技能之间的潜在联系。

有些研究已观察到社交媒体的使用与青少年焦虑之间存在着关系，但很难弄清楚究竟是社
交媒体导致焦虑，还是患有焦虑的青少年为了寻求安慰或支持而使用社交媒体。青少年使用社
交媒体的方式也很重要：社交攀比和希冀反馈等行为与抑郁症状相关，这些症状通常伴随着焦
虑。

下面是一些让社交媒体对青少年产生积极影响的建议。
自我关爱。看到好朋友去沙滩旅行的照片，而你却未曾受到邀请，那确实很难受。如果你
对“数字闹剧”感到沮丧或厌倦，暂时远离社交媒体。
正视社交媒体。很多人会发一些照片，营造一种完美生活的“假象”——而不是受家庭作业
的困扰，或是与父亲争吵。事实上，社交媒体抛开了生活中的杂乱面——而那是每个人都会经
历的起起伏伏。

参与线下活动。一些青少年可以躺一整天刷微博，但你应该意识到培养内心世界更加重
要。鼓励自己在社交媒体和滋养灵魂的活动（比如培养爱好、锻炼、阅读和帮助别人）之间取
得平衡。

soothe /suːð/ v. 安慰
The music soothed her for a while.
prompt /prɒmpt/ v. 鼓励;促使
She was too nervous to speak and had to be prompted.