Glorification of Mental Health in Gen Z
By: Arati Periyannan
Tags: Teenagers, High School, Generation Z, Social Media, Mental Health

This is the life of a Generation Z high schooler. Every day seemingly like the next. And the one before that. And most likely the one before that, too.

Does this seem like a motivational environment? Does this seem like a healthy way of life, even if it is our reality? This is an environment driven by the connection teenagers have formed on social media, and we do not think this is good. social media affects our daily actions. In order for this environment to adjust, social media has to adjust too.

Mental health can mean many things. Everyone has a mental health. Some are more positive, some are negative, and some are in between. It depends on the person but, we need to stop treating unhealthy mental health as the norm in both social media and society because it leads to self-diagnosing, misdiagnosing and an outsider feeling to those who don’t go through the same things.

The way social media discusses mental health blends with how we discuss emotions and because of that, they can often be mistaken as one and the same. Being sad does not mean you have depression. Being moody does not mean you have bipolar disorders. Being organized does not mean you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Being nervous does not mean you have anxiety.

Karen Dineen Wagner, MD, PhD, performed a study that showed the affects online learning and COVID-19 has had on students. Both parents and their students were surveyed. 85.7% of parents noticed changes in their teen’s emotions and behaviors as online learning progressed. The students were then asked about which specific areas they were noticing themselves change, “the most frequently observed changes were difficulty concentrating (76.6%), boredom (52%), irritability (39%), restlessness (38.8%), nervousness (38%), loneliness (31.3%), uneasiness (30.4%), and worries (30.1%).”

Gen Z is more involved in society and politics than any generation before them, and they are starting at a young age. For this reason, unhealthy mental health and mental illnesses are becoming more prevalent. Social media has created an environment that leads teenagers to think the emotions they feel have a deeper meaning.

Prior generations did not have social media to that extent, we do. Over 80% of Gen Z says social media shapes the decisions they make, whether that means shopping, food, lifestyle or feelings regarding mental health topics.

Influencers can change our views. We see influencers as perfect figures who can do no wrong because that is how they portray themselves on social media. They are showing us a false reality, but it is easy to be affected by what they are saying. When shopping we may avoid specific brands because a specific influencer does not like them, and we may shop at a different store more because it has been approved by that same influencer.

Mental health is similar. There are some influencers who openly talk about their mental health and are honest with their following, while others choose to hide that side of them. While there is nothing wrong with influencers wanting to keep their mental health private, showing only the good things in life can form a false reality that causes viewers to think they are not good enough because they don’t have a perfect life too.