Co-Founder of Unplugged Rebels NZ, Smartphone Free Childhood NZ and Senior Urban Designer
As we celebrate Women's Health Week in Aotearoa, I’m reminded that while we often focus on the more alarming aspects of kids and social media, we sometimes overlook one of its most obvious but also harmful features: the relentless pursuit of likes. We all remember being teenagers and how much we wanted to fit in and be liked by our peers. Most of us eventually learned that indifference and rejection could be survived, that popularity wasn’t everything, and that having just a few close friends was more than enough. This lesson likely helped us navigate the murky waters of social media today, as we gained the maturity and resilience to do so. Unfortunately, many of our teenagers aren’t getting that same chance, especially when we look at the statistics around teenage girls and mental health. In their pockets, our girls carry a world that constantly tells them they need as many friends as possible to be valued, that they must accumulate as many likes as possible from these friends, and that they should do whatever it takes to achieve those likes. When rejection comes, it’s not just from a few friends—it’s from hundreds, and it hits like a ton of bricks. As parents, we encourage our teens to be themselves and not to worry about whether they’re liked or not, but the world in their pocket is telling them something entirely different. So, who do you think they’re more likely to listen to? Women's health starts with our girls' health, and it’s our responsibility to ensure they grow up feeling confident and valued for who they truly are. This graph is one of many which we share in our presentations and we highlight 2012 as the year that the front facing camera and instagram were widely adopted. Unplugged Rebels NZ. Delaying smartphones and social media for our children's health. Tend Health Ltd, Woman's Health Centers, National Woman's Health Care Center, Woman's Trust, Woman's Hospital
