TEENS AND VIRAL VIOLENT CONTENT

When analyzing adolescent behavior, it is important to have an analysis of the effects of consuming violent digital content at a rapid speed. Most studies discussing this topic have shared that there is no connection to mental health and consumption of digital content; or there are studies only focusing on the digital consumption of violence and inappropriate content in video games, sexual content, or mature digital spaces. Though there is more to evaluate when it comes to teens and digital content. There has not been a published observed study examining the association between viewing viral videos with race-related traumatic content and mental health outcomes specifically for racial-ethnic minority groups.

Harmful Digital Content
Given the historical context of racism in the United States, there should be no surprise the effect of viewing killings of people of color can do on those teens that look like them. As 2020 has exposed, as well as numerous violent acts just within the last 5-10 years, racial discrimination and violence against minorities are prevalent and concerning still. The Journal of Adolescent Health studied race-related traumatic events in online environments and their mental health correlation among African American and Latinx adolescents. Researchers found that forty-five percent of teens reported being online "almost constantly," and video-sharing social media platforms as the most visited sites (B.M. Tynes et al., 2019). This content viewing and interaction with media platforms are not to be only the fault of teens, as social media companies design their algorithms and content formats to be addictive. For the tech industry to hold users' attention they build features into their apps that can manipulate our brain chemistry. Catherine Price from Science Focus BBC Magazine states, "These tricks are borrowed straight from casinos and slot machines...the 'pull-to-refresh' feature common to social media apps, where dragging the screen downwards prompts the screen to refresh. Not only is the action itself similar to pulling the lever on a slot machine, but it takes advantage of our attraction to unpredictability" (2018). The combination of tech industry addictive formats, the psychological development of adolescents, and easy access to digital information begin the inevitability of teens having an increased level of direct and indirect violent content. Reports from 2009 to 2017, stated rates of depression among those ages 14 to 17 in the U.S. "jumped more than 60%, and emergency-room visits for self-harm and suicidal thoughts in this age group also increased sharply" (Twenge, 2019). Excessive amounts of media that are curated to be addictive, and profitable to advertisers can be damaging to teens' mental and physical health. The Journal of Adolescent Health (2019) explores this exact topic by studying how teens who view "viral videos of the detainment of undocumented immigrants in cages and police killings of unarmed citizens are two of the most pressing traumatic events facing adolescents of color". This results in teens that have the most viewings of "traumatic events online (TEO) were associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms. The study showed these symptoms correlate with teens viewing the indirect violence and sympathizing with the victims in the content. This self-identification drives teens to perceive themselves and those within similar race groups as potential threats to others. The overstimulation of these content and sympathizing can decrease teens' sense of control over what happens to them (B.M. Tynes et al., 2019).

What Can Be Done?
Though this information can be alarming, social media and interaction with digital content need to be in moderation like most things. When done in moderation, social media can create opportunities for teens to social network and more opportunities to "speak". The increased level of awareness has led to mass movements centering on the voices of marginalized populations and the implementation of accountability measures such as body cameras (Twenge, 2019). However, there is still the permanency of online content, which allows videos that automatically play when scrolling, to be repeated which creates that continued exposure to traumatic events.
It is important to acknowledge and find solutions to teens' high exposure to on-screen violence during the digital age. Thinking of risks and benefits of limiting screen time, Jean Twenge (2019) says, "the harm in limiting (not eliminating) the use of electronic devices? Very little. What is the harm in doing nothing, if a lot of time on devices might be behind the sharp rise in teen depression? Too much". These solutions can be done through limiting screen time before bed, no phones during family gathering time, and monitoring social media accounts of teens to keep an eye on dangerous or negatively harmful information. Though the violence against black and brown individuals may not feel in control or stopped, adults can help manage the exposure of such violence.

Sources
B.M. Tynes et al. (2019). Race-Related Traumatic Events Online and Mental Health Among Adolescents of Color. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.03.006
Price, Catherine. (2018). Trapped – the secret ways social media is built to be addictive (and what you can do to fight back). Science Focus. Web. Retrieved in June 2021.
Twenge, M. J. 2019. Stop Debating Whether Too Much Smartphone Time Can Hurt Teens and Start Protecting Them. TIME USA, LLC. Web. Retrieved in June 2021.