I just finished a new book by Nancy Jo Sales called American Girls, Social Media, and the Secret Lives of Teenagers. I’m struggling to digest it. It’s heartbreaking.
Eight years ago, Apple came out with the iPhone, which has since drawn (especially) young people into an addictive vortex of emotional turbulence, bullying, insecurity, anxiety and sabotage – especially for girls. This world creates an environment that strangely compels them to compete for “likes” by looking “hot.”
The dinosaur in the room is the new porn, which is very violent, abusive and degrading to women, and is readily available to kids.
I wonder why this is? It has now become “normalized.” This is not fair to girls, boys or their parents.
Our girls, especially, need rescuing. They need information, like Judy Blume helped teens in the past. There is no Judy Blume now who can help answer and make sense of the sordid questions and disrespect girls are having to face in these times. They need compassionate support and guidance.
I hope that enough people will be inspired to learn more about this dark side of social media so that new and healthy ways of navigating it can be created for our precious young people. May God help them, and all of us. We need it.
Marie Wiggins
Sunapee