I guess I should have predicted this. Teens can self harm in a variety of ways. The latest is digital. About 6% of teens have posted anonymously online something hurtful about themselves. This was discovered in a survey of over 5 thousand middle and high school students. It was first noted in England when a 14 year old posted mean messages about herself online and then committed suicide. A Texas 15 year old girl did the same in 2016. About half of those that admitted to typing these hurtful posts did it only once but 36% did it a few times and 13% did it many times. Why? The most common reason, not surprisingly, was self-hate. This is a new problem, one that took me by surprise. Another reason to look over your teens computer and monitor what they are doing.
Dr Susan Badaracco, pediatrician and author of “The Oath”
