- What does it mean for a teenager to have a negative self-image and low self-esteem? How might it affect them?
- Why do we focus on social media and not on other media and formats like movies and advertisements? Didn't the same thing happen before social media existed?
- Do you think that if we reduced our social media use we would have better mental health?
- How can we help a teenager realize that they shouldn't compare themselves to people who aren't real? What can we tell them?
- What can I say to my son to help him accept his body?
- Can't wanting to eat well, exercise, and look good also be a positive thing?
- Can we detect at home when an obsession with image and a cult of beauty starts to become a problem?
- My daughter has anorexia and it seems that she's finding profiles on social media that encourage and exacerbate this disorder. Should I forbid her from going online? How can I monitor her?
- How can we boost our children's self-esteem, beyond social media?
- Filters that remove wrinkles or reduce body mass allow us to change our appearance and create a persona we're not. Could this lead us to increasingly avoid personal contact in order to conceal our true selves?
- Why do we always talk about teenagers? Doesn't it affect adults?
- Do you know of any initiatives with good results for addressing this issue in schools?
- Can social pressure to always be happy lead to depression?
- Can celebrities talking about their mental health disorders create a trend or trivialize them?
- If I notice that my daughter is discriminating against someone because of their appearance, what can I do or say to her?
- What can I do if I see that a girl from my school is being bullied through social media?
- It seems that we parents are always blamed for our children's use of social media or for whether or not they have good self-esteem.
- My daughter loves wearing makeup and posting her makeup routines on social media. Could this be harmful, or should I think it's normal?
Can celebrities talking about their mental health disorders create a trend or trivialize them?
Raising awareness of mental health or mental disorders is a necessary activity, since we start from a society that continues to stigmatize mental health problems .
However, how we communicate about mental health does impact the collective understanding we are building as a society. Personal testimonies are necessary and undeniable. Each person's experience is the real experience of that condition. In that sense, we must be extremely respectful. I also believe we should show gratitude to relevant and influential figures when they choose to share a personal testimony.
But the problem arises when unqualified individuals offer unsubstantiated advice or opinions on relevant mental health issues. A few months ago, a controversy erupted when numerous influencers were interviewed by a mental health outreach outlet for advice on the topic. This is dangerous. Guidelines and guidance on mental health should be provided by properly qualified professionals. And no one else.
A similar situation occurs with vulnerable groups, such as LGBTQIA+ youth or migrant adolescents, whose experiences are constantly questioned and unfounded opinions are offered, all fueled by the politicization of their realities and needs. This is dangerous because it jeopardizes the mental health of these groups.