[thaumasiotes]

> Obviously something is causing marked increases in teen depression and suicide attempts over the same period as the move to 24/7 social media.

When in-person school was suspended over covid, the teen suicide rate dropped dramatically.

[germinalphrase]

My quick searching seems to indicate that rates were flat or somewhat decreased, but not dramatically.

As a high school teacher, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that though. My students who struggle the hardest often find school to be a significant, additional source of stress. The thinking can also become circular: I’m struggling, and don’t have the capacity to perform (even if I want to do well and have in the past), and that means I’m incapable of performing well, and so I’m struggling more, and so I lack the capacity to…

[thaumasiotes]

Rates were flat in a sense of temporal continuity - they stayed around a level that is normal some of the time.

They were very far down in a sense of seasonality. Teen suicide rates are -- normally -- much higher during the school year than they are during the summer.

https://nitter.net/tylerblack32/status/1470785708394754052#m

> The first school year of the pandemic (with full lockdowns) also represents the FIRST TIME IN 21 YEARS that March-June (school months) had the same low suicide rate as July (non school month). Typically, school months associated with 36-55% increase [in suicide] in HS kids.

So about a 30% decrease in suicide rate from shutting down school. I would argue that a 30% decrease qualifies as "dramatic".

[purpleblue]

You mean suicide rates skyrocketed during the Pandemic.

[watwut]

They did not. That is something that simply did not happened.

[pessimizer]

But school has other important benefits.

[thaumasiotes]

That's not obvious. If children's opinions counted, it might well be a minority position.

And if we're willing to assume that school has important benefits, the same is obviously true of Facebook.