Teens Are Using Social Media to Diagnose Themselves with ADHD, Autism and More. Parents Are Alarmed

July 20, 2023

(CNN) – Using the internet to self-diagnose is not new, as anyone who has used WebMD knows. And there can be some benefits. Some parents said social media has helped their teens get mental health information they’ve needed and has helped them feel less alone.  However, many parents and experts expressed concerns over how self-diagnosing and mislabeling could exacerbate teens’ behaviors, make them feel isolated and be counterproductive in getting them the help they need. In a worst case scenario, teens could set themselves on a path to receiving medication for a condition they do not have. And once teens search for this mental health content, the algorithms may keep surfacing similar videos and posts.

And like Coleman, some parents and therapists have found that once teens decide they have a condition, it can be hard to convince them otherwise. (Read More)