Unpacking Grind Culture in American Teens: Pressure, Burnout, and the Role of Social Media

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/unpacking-grind-culture-in-american-teens-pressure-burnout-and-the-role-of-social-media?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1cV09VTy6UHRe4cGLn7cwJe4zUJGgp8mDPIcprWObW2LJ_0SoFgoQcbeMdPQFjPfphsVMKtCNCrBjXcn03n1jKxQVZA&_hsmi=333852465&utm_content=333852465&utm_source=hs_email Et tu, Strava? The fitness tracker isn’t the first social media app that comes to mind when considering the damage Instagram, TikTok, and others can do to some teens’ mental health. But any forum that invites people to compare themselves to others can amp up the pressure young people feel, Harvard social scientist Emily Weinstein and Indiana University social psychologist Sara Konrath note in a STAT First Opinion. Still, “One thing is clear: We can’t pin all the blame for teen mental health on social media, and school phone bans can’t fix it.” In their national survey of over 1,500 American teens, they found that more than half reported negative pressure to grind out a game plan for life. They pointed to teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, and other school adults; themselves; and their parents and family members as the top three sources of that pressure to achieve. Social media came in fourth — not even making the podium. “Social media can be like gasoline on the fires that are burning some teens out,” they write. “But to fix mental health trends, we also need to widen our lens beyond Instagram and TikTok: to other technologies, and even to the Strava-fication of school in the form of educational technology platforms that continually pressure students and parents with endless performance updates.” Tech and social media bans alone cannot fix teen mental health By Emily Weinstein and Sara KonrathNov. 14, 2024 https://www.statnews.com/2024/11/14/teen-mental-health-crisis-instagram-tiktok-strava/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-87hQKgArzby48xTllmd3th6h4TZwB3HXjVifZrw5czfG7LSrw8x4oqTzMHsdGFpYzU8i5NFbn2kYojDlzzlJAJGh-aRg&_hsmi=333852465&utm_content=333852465&utm_source=hs_email