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“The negative effects of social media are often discussed but for children who don’t fit in, social media provides alternate forms of existing,” psychologist Humair Yusuf said during a panel on Media and Youth Mental Health at the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) on Saturday.

In addition to Yusuf, who served as the moderator, the panel included psychiatrist Dr. Ayesha Mian, the Managing Director of Geo News Azhar Abbas, educator and principal Sajjad Syed, and Noor Ahmed, the General Manager of the Citizens Archive of Pakistan.

The panel discussed the role of social media in young adults’ lives and questioned if social media was truly the culprit behind their anxieties.

Yusuf highlighted that every generation had a medium that caused anxiety, giving the example of the Victorian Era when people feared that novels would sexually excite women. The psychologist highlighted that novels, and even video games — a newer technology — were normalised now.

On teens spending so much time on social media, he said that social media provided them with worlds where, those who faced bullying or isolation, could be functioning members of society. “This is often overlooked. It’s just a matter of how you view it.”

Abbas said that the narrative of mental health must change from one of stigma to one of strength and emphasised that media could play the role of a catalyst in bringing about that change.

“Mainstream media is more responsible than social media because it [social media] doesn’t have editorial controls.”

He highlighted that through social media, young people weren’t passive consumers but creators of content. “We need to provide them with proper platforms to voice their concerns. And campaigns and platforms are necessary for it.”

Syed, who serves as a principal at Lynx School, said that engagement on social media had a big impact on the lives of students. He said that social media was a double-edged sword where students were either bullied or received positive reinforcement through comments and likes.

“When they get bullied it creates a big void and we deal with that in school. A lot of complaints are related to social media and these are very serious issues which create matters where parents need to be involved.”

He said that the lives of children of all ages were being dictated by technology regularly and emphasised the role schools had to play to ensure a child’s well-being.

Syed maintained that schools needed to recalibrate curriculums to include outdoor sports and project-based learning.

Abbas added that mental health was often talked about subjectively and that children were often forced into rat races at schools instead of being taught to be a person of value.

Mian underscored that people believed that younger generations’ vulnerability was the problem but society led them into a world with “very arbitrary measures of success that no one is talking about.

“Mental health is a much larger concept — it is not the absence of health. It is if you can exceed use your day-to-day functioning as a member of society.”

Syed believed that a blend of inclusivity and empathy was the need of the hour. He said that people were made to feel as if they had to look out for themselves and when everyone went down that path, “people care less for others”.

Mian, drawing the session to an end, said that the health sector was still behind in considering mental health a public issue.

“A lot is happening in the social sector, in psychology circles and social sciences. However, quality care is still missing.”