Mother of tragic Elisha: Pressure from social media is hurting teens
THE heartbroken mother of Elisha Gault, whose body was recovered from a river last month, has said young people are under too much pressure from social media.
Her 14-year-old daughter’s body was taken from the River Suir on March 25, near her home of Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, after she went missing eight days previously.
Writing on Facebook, Gráinne Gault posted that she believes that ‘teenagers and younger kids are under immense pressure to fit in due to social media’.
Ms Gault pointed out that teenagers live their lives through social media by asking: ‘How many friends on social media?
‘These are goals for acceptance. Apps that started out to be portals for sociability are becoming the opposite for some. It’s easier to attack and bully someone when you are not face-to-face and can’t see the damage that you are causing another human being,’ she said.
‘Because the goal for that person is to vent their emotions, this is destructive, we need to teach a more constructive way for conflict resolution, which includes all ages.
‘Just because our emotional state may be justified, our reaction isn’t always justified.’
Elisha’s mother added: ‘Sticks and stones will break our bones, but names will never hurt us. This was something we were told growing up if anybody ever said anything mean to us.
‘Words can be very damaging, those that cut the deepest are ones said by those closest to us. How we treat each other has got to change, we need to take more responsibility with how we express our emotions to each other, such as anger, jealousy, frustration etc.
‘What is said and done in quick response to a emotionally heightened situation can have detrimental effects and, in some cases, a deadly outcome.’
Gráinne will be joining mental health awareness group, Pieta House, on its annual Darkness Into Light walk on May 12.
She said: ‘I’m walking in memory of Elisha Gault.’ Comment – Page 14
‘Words can be very damaging’
IT is just three weeks since Elisha Gault’s body was recovered from the River Suir in Co. Tipperary. The 14-year-old had been missing from her home for eight days.
Now her devastated mother has spoken out in an effort to highlight the pressures that young people are under because of social media. In a poignant Facebook post, Gráinne Gault said: ‘It’s easier to attack and bully someone when you are not faceto-face and can’t see the damage that you are causing to another human being.’
Noting that ‘words can be very damaging’, she adds: ‘How we treat each other has got to change.’
It hardly needs saying that Ms Gault has shown enormous courage by summoning up the strength to speak out at such a difficult time. This whole story is a sad reminder of the very real threat faced by children in the modern age.
This newspaper makes absolutely no apology for continuing to campaign for a ban on youngsters owning smartphones until they reach an appropriate age. Nor are we reticent in saying that the onus is on the Government to introduce the necessary legislative changes without any further delay.