Need for teens to join real world

THE growing disconnect between teenagers and the real world is exacerbating mental health issues and a contributing factor in the spike in youth crime, a prominent Gold Coast general practitioner says.

Dr Sonu Haikerwal, former president of the Gold Coast Medical Association and coowner of Haan Health, said the quick-fix mentality that came with unfettered access to the internet and social media was damaging young people.

“Whatever they have they can always find someone who has something better, so there’s a lack of contentment, there’s a need to always do more and have more,” she said.

“It’s leading to behaviours where young people are looking for ways to be relevant, to find purpose and get attention and often this can be seen in anti-social or risky behaviours.”

While acknowledging mental health was a serious and growing issue for teenagers, Dr Haikerwal said in some instances the reason children were diagnosed with anxiety and depression was because they were isolated and disconnected from the community.

“They are not playing with babies or talking to older people, young people are not singing and dancing, they are drugging themselves with alcohol and drugs.

“I think we need to bring back the normality to our community and encourage face-toface connections.

“I’m constantly picking up the pieces and see parents of teenagers who are so distraught about their kids’ health because they are living their lives online, at 15 and 16 years of age.”

Dr Haikerwal said young people’s attention spans were becoming much more shortlived and they craved the hit they got from a like or comment on social media sites. “But 10 minutes later they feel alone again,” she said.

Crucially, Dr Haikerwal discouraged the use of telehealth consultations, particularly for teenagers, unless it was for “stable run-of-the-mill” medicine such as a request for a pathology form for a blood test.