Fowler Davis 4 Change awarded grant to study the effects of social media on youth mental health and create an educational, prevention, and awareness initiative.

BIRMINGHAM, AL, UNITED STATES, November 1, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Social media allows youth to create online identities, communicate with others and build social networks. These networks can provide youth with valuable support, especially helping those who experience exclusion, have disabilities, or chronic illnesses. Youth also use social media for entertainment and self-expression. And the platforms can expose youths to current events, allow them to interact across geographic barriers and teach them about a variety of subjects, including healthy behaviors.

However, social media use can also negatively affect youth, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people's lives, peer pressure, and predatory sexual content, which can cause depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, and more.

Studies show that depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rates have risen sharply in recent years among adolescents. Suicide is now recognized as the second leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 7 and 24 second only to accidental death and car accidents. The U.S. Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics have declared a youth mental health crisis in the United States.

Bark's 2022 research on youth sexting, youth mental health, and more gives a comprehensive view of exactly what kids are experiencing online today. Bark analyzed more than 4.5 billion messages across texts, YouTube, and 30+apps and social media platforms.

To address these issues, the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention/Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama awarded a grant to Fowler Davis 4 Change to study these disturbing issues and create an educational, prevention and awareness initiative.

Jeff Davis, Co-Founder of Fowler Davis 4 Changes says “mental health is like taking care of a car — many big problems can be taken care of with preventative maintenance. Some people may think of the term ‘mental health’ as something negative, but in reality, it’s part of our daily lives, and can be a positive thing!”

Our goal is to provide prevention education and empower our youth to become better educated about the effects and dangers of social media, how addictive it can be, and how to stay mentally strong and healthy" states Barbara Fowler, Co-Founder of Fowler Davis 4 Change, a (501(c)(3) nonprofit, whose vision is to change lives through visual storytelling to create Awareness, Empowerment and Action.

Barbara Fowler
Fowler Davis 4 Change
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