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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Social Media Use Linked to Teen Suicide

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – You may want to limit your teen's use of social media over the long holiday weekend.

A study released this month in the journal Clinical Psychological Science found links between use of online engagement platforms and feelings of hopelessness and suicide.

According to the analysis, teens who used electronic devices for more than five hours a day were 70 percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

Scott Ridgeway, executive director of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, says the loss of human interaction is a big factor.

"When our young folks are spending quite a bit of time on these devices, they are isolating themselves from social activities, and they're taking themselves away from interactions from other folks," he explains.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen suicide is on the increase in recent years, and cyber bullying and isolation from increased use of devices are believed to be two major factors.

Ridgeway says in addition to limiting online activity, parents should monitor what sites their children are visiting and watch for any changes in behavior.

He says another consequence of people posting so much about their day-to-day lives is the appearance that the lives of others are perfect or ideal, and teens may compare themselves in an unfavorable way.

"It's pressures that are put on students and friends that shouldn't happen, and then those are emotions that are really taken out of context," Ridgeway states.

Ridgeway says his group and others are concerned about entertainment that may glamorize suicide or offer instruction on how people may take their own lives, such as the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why."







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