A quick internet search reveals an array of articles across the country showing young people dying by suicide over bullying.
It’s an issue that Goleta Union School Board member Emily Zacarias has been vocal about, both as a parent and a representative of the district.
She joins journalist Josh Molina on the podcast Santa Barbara Talks to discuss bullying, smart phones, and social media.
“It’s the cyber bully, it’s not even the bullying that is taking place at schools, it’s the bullying that is bleeding into these kids’ lives 24/7 on social media, or these chatrooms,” Zacarias said. “It’s been so hard to contain that.”
The school board member has two children and is a teacher. She said there is growing anxiety among young people over being left out of social situations.
“I really do think the anxiety is coming from fear of exclusion, and that is being played out with the cyberbullying,” Zacarias said.
She recommended the book “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
She noted that children no longer have a “play-based childhood,” because kids spend so much time on devices.
“Moving these kids’ social environment to these platforms, onto a phone, a digital world, it’s not face to face, your not getting people’s reactions in real time, you comment on people’s things, it is disembodied and it creates so much anxiety,” Zacarias said.
Find more than 200 podcasts on a variety of topics by visiting Josh Molina’s website Santa Barbara Talks and follow his channel on Youtube. Molina is a journalist who creates conversations around education, housing, culture, business and transportation. You can reach him at josh@santabarbaratalks.com