ST. ALBANS, Vt. (WCAX) – Teen self-harm is on the rise across the country, reflecting the impact of the pandemic and social media on teen mental health. One Vermont student is trying to raise awareness around the issue.
“I looked out to all my friends in high school and I started seeing cuts, burns, and just like a lot of stress, anxiety, and depression going around,” said Aubrianna Mayette, a sophomore at Enosburg Falls High School. She says she started getting bullied after she moved to Vermont in 2019. She coped with her depression by turning to self-harm, four times a week.
Mayette’s mother, Carmela, says it was an emotional time. “Not just for her but for me and my spouse, because we were trying to figure out where as parents, where did we go wrong?” she said.
Mayette’s story is a snapshot of a growing number of families facing a drastic increase in teen self-harm that psychiatrists have been tracking since the pandemic. “COVID did a lot of damage for some people,” Mayette said.
One 2022 study in the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma showed nearly 50% of the teens they surveyed self-harmed, up around 10% from a pre-pandemic study.
“The acuity is getting tougher and worse, I guess, if you will. I think that people today are living in a very different society than some of us were growing up in,” said Dana Postemski, who works with teens at Northwestern Counseling and Support Services in St. Albans. On top of the pandemic, she says teens tell her they face an array of hardships like fear of school shootings, cyberbullying, gaming, and social media addiction.
Research shows that adolescents who use social media for more than three hours daily are more likely to self-harm compared to teens who spend less time on their phones. But Postemki says social media usage is nuanced, especially for lonely kids. “It can be a really good place that people are finding connection, because I think, these days, social isolation is also another really large piece that’s impacting mental health,” she said.
Back at the Mayette home, Aubrianna is making trigger bags as part of her community service initiative for Miss Teen Vermont. The little sacks are full of goodies for teens who are thinking about self-harming. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing when I know my best friends are suffering. So, I got in contact with my mom and I was like, we need to do something,” she said.
The bags are available for students at her school library and counseling office. She’s hoping to distribute them all over the state. Her mom is her greatest helper.
“My message to the moms would be to take a deep breath. Don’t freak out. Ultimately, just just make things supportive for them,” Carmela said.
If you’d like to meet the Mayette’s, get a trigger bag, or learn more about the Orange Ribbon Project, they’ll be hosting free events on Thursday evenings this month at Bellows Free Academy.