Sad girls and parrots

Many studies in recent years assume this An increase in the number of cases of depression among teenage girls This is due to a loss of self-esteem when compared to social media images, often captured using photographs, of people who look prettier, skinnier, more popular, and richer than they are. Three-quarters of 14-year-old girls with depression have low self-esteem and are dissatisfied with their appearance.

Girls are affected much more by their perception of their appearance than boys, according to Professor Yvonne Kelly of University College London, who led the research. Some have suicidal thoughts and even go so far as to harm themselves. Rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm among teenage girls rose in the early 2000s as social media platforms grew and multiplied.

Social media and community diseases

Statistics show that girls spend much more time than boys using social networks like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Although there is not yet conclusive evidence that social media use actually causes depression, we do have several competing signs that it is having a negative effect on young people and Especially girls.

All in all, there is no doubt that social media is partially responsible for the societal ills we have experienced in recent years. Think of how much they have contributed to escalating social tensions by spreading lies about the pandemic.

Parrots chatting on the net

Humans are not the only ones depressed by social isolation. Parrots too. And for them, the influence of the Internet appears to have the opposite effect, according to a newly published ethics study by Scottish and American researchers.

Eighteen parrots – some of the most intelligent birds – were selected to participate in the study. They were given a touch screen tablet in which they were taught to touch pictures of other parrots with their beaks to make a call to them. They can choose which one to contact.

They soon made new feathered friends. These birds, which live in groups in the wild, are often found alone in the family that adopts them as a pet. Boredom and loneliness lead birds to develop psychological problems that can lead to self-harming behaviors such as feather plucking. The ability to communicate with peers gives them the “joy of life”.

a Study co-author He said the parrots “seemed to understand” that when they interacted with other birds via video, they were having real interactions with them. From their isolation, the birds have adopted social behaviors such as singing together, imitating each other, and even grooming themselves for fear of being seen badly.

This is the first experiment that allows animals to communicate directly with each other via the Internet on their own initiative.