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AMERICAN
<br /> V AM PSY'CN^ OLOGICA
<br /> Usm wow ASSOCIATION
<br /> TMEM Now SERVICES,INC.
<br /> of stress. This is highly relevant since stress is one of the strongest predictors of children's and
<br /> adolescents' mental health difficulties, including suicidal behavior. "Digital stress," is
<br /> characterized by a youth's a) connection overload (i.e., notification and implicit social
<br /> requirements to participate on social media platforms),b)the fear of missing out on conversations
<br /> and other social interactions taking place exclusively online, c) the need to remain constantly
<br /> available to others online, and d) approval anxiety (i.e., concerns about the response to one's own
<br /> posts) are each notable factors influencing the way youth think about their connection to online
<br /> platforms 26. Nearly half of all young people participating in online platforms report experiencing
<br /> digital stress. Research demonstrates that higher levels of digital stress are associated with greater
<br /> increases in depressive symptoms among adolescents 27.
<br /> Social Media Encourages Social Comparisons. The quantitative nature of social media,
<br /> combined with the use of visual stimuli, creates a fertile ground for social comparisons.
<br /> Adolescence, a period defined by psychologists as a process of identity development via reflected
<br /> appraisal processes (i.e., evaluating oneself based on feedback from peers) are especially likely to
<br /> engage with social media in ways that allow them to compare their appearance, friends, social
<br /> activities with others with what they see online, especially when those in their own social network
<br /> are commenting and "liking" these same posts. The opportunity for constant feedback,
<br /> commentary, quantitative metrics of approval, and 24-hour social engagement is unprecedented
<br /> among our species. Research suggests that these social comparison processes, and youths'
<br /> tendency to seek positive feedback or status (i.e., more "likes," followers, online praise) is
<br /> associated with a risk for depressive symptoms 28. In addition,psychological science demonstrates
<br /> 26 Steele,R. G.,Hall,J.A., & Christofferson,J. L. (2020). Conceptualizing Digital Stress in Adolescents and Young
<br /> Adults: Toward the Development of an Empirically Based Model. Clinical child and family psychology review,
<br /> 23(1), 15-26. 0 i 00 7/si056/ 010 00300 .5.
<br /> 27 Nick,E.A.,Kilic,Z.,Nesi,J.,Telzer,E. H.,Lindquist,K.A., &Prinstein,M. J. (2022). Adolescent Digital
<br /> Stress: Frequencies, Correlates, and Longitudinal Association With Depressive Symptoms. The Journal of
<br /> adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 70(2),336-339.
<br /> .//Llc2i2rs�/�0.i0 �r/j.jaLl4)h al�h.202i.0�.02.5.
<br /> 21 Choukas-Bradley, S.,Nesi,J.,Widman,L., & Galla,B. M. (2020). The Appearance-Related Social Media
<br /> Consciousness Scale: Development and validation with adolescents.Body Image,33, 164-174.
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