I think there’s a very straightforward reason behind the connection, and deep down most parents and teachers are in agreement of what it is. Kids are impressio

I think there’s a very straightforward reason behind the connection, and deep down most parents and teachers are in agreement of what it is. Kids are impressionable and mimic the behavior of other kids. That’s just a universal truth of childhood. Thus, kids having a new exposure to literally thousands of minor celebrities with a self-diagnosed mental condition (via the usual apps) probably has something to do with kids being more likely to self-diagnose with the same class of conditions. Maybe someone more versed on the topic can point out where I’m wrong, but it seems very logical to me. This is mostly based on my anecdotal experience with young people who love TikTok. When you’re staring at a source of content for 3h/day+, it’s only logical that content would start to influence you. TikTok is an enormous and mixed bag. Some kids find religion, others find communism, still others find crocheting or roller skating. Other ones fall down the rabbit hole of amateur self therapy. I think it’s hasty to cast wide judgement on social media apps as a whole, but I think it’s evident that what we watch and consume has a big effect on who we are.