Key Takeaways
- Social media helps Southern teens connect and learn about mental health, but barriers to care and stigma still hinder support.
- A report by Hopelab highlights that geography influences online mental health support access in the South, especially due to limited internet connectivity.
- Southern teens display skepticism towards AI’s impact on jobs and the environment, compared to peers in other regions.
- The study emphasizes the need for adult collaboration with young people on mental health solutions to ensure relevance and effectiveness.
- Creating supportive school environments and improving online safeguards are essential for reducing negative experiences related to mental health.
In Georgia and across the South, social media has become a vital space for teens to connect, express themselves and learn about mental health. But a new report points to an important shortcoming.
The nonprofit Hopelab finds that, while online platforms often help young people find community and encouragement, barriers to mental-health care and stigma still prevent many from getting the support they need.
Michael Parent, principal researcher and psychologist for Hopelab, said his group looked at how youths in the South experience mental health and technology compared with peers in other parts of the country. Parent said the promise of online support often depends on geography – and some Southern teens struggle to connect at all.
“There still exist some kind of logistical barriers,” he said. “Much more of the country is now covered by broadband Wi-Fi, but there are still a lot of regions, particularly in the rural South, where broadband Wi-Fi is not easily available and high-speed internet connectivity is still a problem, so you can’t really engage in telehealth services.”
Parent said the connection gaps, combined with cultural stigma around mental health, may limit how young Southerners seek care. The report also finds they’re more skeptical than their peers in other regions about artificial intelligence and its impact on job opportunities and the environment.
While the study underscores the challenges, it also shows how Southern teens are turning social media into a source of connection and encouragement, helping them feel less alone in their experiences, online and off. Parent said the findings highlight the need for adults, schools and tech companies to work directly with young people when shaping mental-health solutions.
“So, making sure that young people have voices in those conversations is really crucial,” he said. “Otherwise, you risk intended solutions being really kind of not applicable to the actual experiences of young people, and only kind of based on the perceptions that adults have of what young people are experiencing.”
He also stressed the importance of making schools affirming and supportive environments where kids don’t face hostility or bullying based on their identities. And the report points to opportunities to implement safeguards for reducing negative online experiences.
