Self-diagnosis trend using social media

Your young person may have wondered if they have ADHD or autism or anxiety etc based on what they watch on TikTok. Such concerns may be more common when your child is under stress such as looming exams. This is not uncommon of students and there is some literature on this that is worth reading. This first article is found on our cybersafety hub. Another article can be found on CNN Business which is quite American based, but not so distant from our own teens. Coming closer to home, here is an article from Stuff earlier this year.

A Google search will show that this is a bit of a trend so if your child is talking with you regarding their concerns, there are tools to support them without reinforcing their thoughts such as some links provided in the Stuff article. You are also welcome to seek guidance from our counsellors.