No Time to Think Documentary Clip
http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/our-mission/restart-tv-a-documentaries/409-documentary-no-time-to-think.html
(The above video could not be shown due to technical restrictions, but please follow the link in order to watch the video clip!)
This short video is an excerpt from the documentary "No Time to Think" being made my Brian Huston of Road Trip Productions, found on the website for the reSTART program. I like how the psychologists and professors detail how the brain develops from what is wired to do, therefor if you have more online interactions and online behaviors, then your brain is more able to deal with these online relationships rather than real life interactions. This can contribute to increased isolation, anxiety and depression in daily real life relationships and activities.
Austin News KXAN Segment on Depression with Increased Internet Use
Here is a segment that was aired on Austin News KXAN which details how internet use can lead to depression. The scary fact was that those who were "normal" before the study but then addicted from using the internet were 2.5 times more likely to become depressed. Although researchers are unsure if these individuals were at high risk for depression before coming addicted or if is was a result internet use and consequent addiction.
CASE STUDY: AMANDA TODD
This CBC News segment (above) covers the incident of cyberbullying that led to the suicide of the young teen Amanda Todd. This sad tale is telling of the sort of spiraling depression and anxiety that can result in bullying online. Amanda Todd was beautiful young girl in 10th grade when she took her own life by hanging herself after struggling with bullying from a stranger on the internet for years. Todd had gone onto chat rooms in 7th grade and was asked to flash her breast to a strange man. As a young girl, she made this mistake, and he continued to stalk her online, threatening to show all of her Facebook friends the image of her breasts if she did not perform a private show for him. When she refused, he succeeded in promoting the image to all of her peers, thoroughly embarrassing the young teen. She even moved and tried to start a new reputation at a new school, but the bully continued to haunt her, repeating the same act, once against ruining her reputation. Below is a chilling video made by Todd made on September 7, 2012 just a little over a month before her suicide on October 10, 2012. The video details how she was struggling with loneliness, depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, and eventually self mutilation and drug and alcohol use. It is heartbreaking to see such a beautiful young girl struggle at such a young age because of a simple mistake and constant bullying online and at school. Amanda Todd's story is a cautionary tale about how out of control depression can spiral from such extensive internet use and relations. This case is exemplary of the need for further education and legislative protection about online dangers of bullying and depression in order to prevent more cases like this. Hopefully my reading and hearing this story, parents and educators can be further encouraged to set up privacy settings on computers and to monitor not only their children's online activities but also by watching their behaviors and moods in relation to excessive internet use.
Video titled "My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self harm" found on YouTube.
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