Young struggle to read emotions

YOUNG Australians born in the age of Facebook have lost the ability to read the emotions in people’s faces, leading to a lack of friendships and a decline in their mental health.

A new study shows that non-verbal offline communication has become a problem for people under the age of 21 as they struggle to look people in the eye and read how they are feeling.

But while this detachment from real world relationships is evident in young people, Facebook users over 21 are not hampered in the same way.

“Older Australians seem to have a buffer against these downfalls of Facebook use. They are able to draw on previous experiences and relationships,” author and psychology student Tharen Kander said.

The findings of the study were presented at the weekend to the Australian Psychological Congress.

Ms Kander said the device demographic had never known a world without social media — and that had a negative effect. “The findings are concerning. You have to be worried for the future generation that is underdeveloped in aspects of interpersonal skills,” she said.

“These are the adults of the future who will go on to reshape the social norms and expectations of society, setting new social standards for subsequent generations.”

The research also shows that almost one in four 15 to 19year-olds meet the criteria for probable serious mental illness.

“This study provides enough evidence to open topical conversation among health practitioners about how young adolescents use Facebook and how it may be a contributing factor to their overall decline in psychological health,” Ms Kander said.