Your
14-year-old daughter tells you that she is worried about a dry patch on her
elbow, a sore on the tip of her tongue and a bent eyelash that hurts when she
blinks. She has been Googling her
ailments, and fears the worst. You:
A. Call the doctor
immediately.
B. Tell her that
you will use your search engines to diagnose her ailments and get to the bottom
of them all.
C. Tell her not
to worry. Let her know that while these
small ills are worth looking into, they are probably also worth a giggle, and
they will surely go away.
D. Call 911!
For every lump,
bump, rash, pain, pimple and bruise, kids today have constant access to an
always on-call “Dr. Google” – an omnipresent option for self-diagnosis. But, is the ability to search the Internet’s
health sites a good thing for our adolescents – offering them helpful
information, self-awareness and self-diagnoses - or are we raising a future
generation of hypochondriacs?
The fact is, our
kids are the first generation to grow up with “Dr. Google” at their fingertips,
and we are the first parents faced with negotiating the potentially angst-ridden
search results. I know that every time
my own 16-year-old daughter observes a physical change in her body, she immediately
starts Googling for answers. I listen to
her findings and her worries with a mixture of concern, fascination and
amusement, and I think, would I ever even notice the “two tastebuds on the tip of
my tongue that are white and weird?” Mostly, however, I am exceedingly grateful
that she is healthy and has no “big ills” to conquer (fingers and toes crossed,
saying a prayer…).
She’s certainly
not the only one. A recent nationwide study (June 2015)
conducted by Northwestern University on “Teens, Health and Technology” looked
at the extent and frequency of teen use
of the Internet for health information and found that 84 percent of American teenagers
consult the Internet for information regarding health, fitness and overall
physical and mental behavior. And, the
most common reason teens look for health information online is to learn how to
take better care of themselves.According to Derek Flanzraich, CEO and Founder of Greatist.com, a popular health and wellness website for Millennials, “There's never been more health information for Millennials to find, so it only make sense that it's never been more difficult for them to properly screen, analyze and act on the right data.” This is supported by survey data that finds 37% of Millennials sometimes self-diagnose with health problems that they don’t have. Perpetuating this “search and stress” cycle, 44% say that viewing health information online causes them to worry about their health.
I asked
my Digital Daughter Ambassadors (DDAs) to weigh in…
According
to Lauren from Houston:
“This summer, I noticed that I had somehow torn a piece
of mole on my leg. It turned a really strange color and looked bad so of course
I Googled it and the first thing that pops up is skin cancer. Then I Googled
how long I would live and of course that too had a post that said I could die
in six weeks. I panicked, cried, and when I told my mom she laughed a
little and said it was just a little infection. I totally blew it WAY out of
proportion and literally had myself thinking I was going to die soon. It totally
stressed me out so I probably won't be doing that again any time soon!”
Maia, from New York, had this to say:
“I recently got my ears pierced, and one
ear was red and hurting so I used Google to see if I had an ear infection or
something. I know it's not totally reliable but I mainly used Yahoo answers in
that particular situation and most people said to clean it or whatever, but so
many people said what they thought so it was really helpful to be able to
compare their answers. I also sometimes use more scientific, official websites
but it really depends. I realize that sometimes it’s probably more information
than I need.”
The
good news for caregivers is that while the Internet is the most popular media
source for health information, teenagers still say they get the majority of
such advice from their parents. According
to the “Teens, Health and
Technology” study,
55% of American teenagers say they get "a lot" of health info from
parents, followed by health classes at school (32%) and medical providers
(29%). Overall, the Internet ranks fourth (25%) as a source of "a
lot" of health information.
Alexandra supports these findings:
“When I'm hurt or something is physically
bothering me I normally turn to my parents for help. They can usually help me
diagnose what is wrong and decide what kind of treatment I need. However, if it
is a more serious illness or injury, or if my parents don't know how to help,
then both me and my parents turn to Google for help.”
Many of
my DDAs are dedicated athletes, and need to be aware of their physical fitness
and health. Kaylie, a high school softball player said:
“To be completely honest, I don't think
I've ever used Google to self diagnose. When
you play softball, bruises, bumps and cuts appear all over and you kind of just
accept them even though you have no memory of them arriving! (Probably not the
best tactic, I know!) If anything super major comes up, I ask my dad, and he'll
just tell me to put ice or something on it. As he puts it, ‘90% of the time I'm
right, even though 50% of that time I have no idea what I'm talking about.’”
And Claire who
runs track said:
“If something hurts, the first thing I do
is Google my symptoms. I’m a very curious person, and I also get worried that
an injury will prevent me from training. I feel empowered by using Google as
it has helped me diagnose some of my injuries in the past such as plantar
fasciitis. I later had a doctor confirm that plantar fasciitis was the source
of my foot pain, but until I could see a doctor, Google was very helpful.”
And what about us
parents? Most of us are just as wired to
“Dr. Google,” and may even feel a parental obligation to use search engines to
diagnose on behalf of our family members’ health.
According to my
friend Peggy, mother of three, ages 10, 12 and 16:
“I am all about self diagnosis! For me and
my kids! And my dog for that matter. I think it helps put things in
perspective. I don't tend to be a worrier though. I just like knowing what the possible outcomes are.”
Jenny, who has younger kids, told me:
“I haven't observed my kids trying to self
diagnose yet. I think you have to be a little older to feel like you can
treat your own illnesses. Right now they just come to me with their aches
and pains. But I definitely Google my family's symptoms all the time;
sometimes accurately and sometimes not!”
And, my friend Joanna
who has a 13-year-old offered this advice:
“If your kid is really freaking out, it would be worth a co-pay to
take them to an actual doctor who might be able to allay their fears - they
might have more credibility with the kid than the parent has.”
So, back to the original question at hand, is the ability to search the Internet’s health sites a good thing for our adolescents?
Dr. Barbara Greenberg, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, and an expert on a range of subjects related to parenting and teens said, “Yes, we may be raising a generation of ‘cyber-chondriacs,’ but on the other hand, I love the access to health and sexual questions. Kids can privately look up issues without being embarrassed. I have always been a fan of more information rather than less.”
As for what parents can do to minimize worry caused by our kids' self-diagnosis, “Remind your kids that they don't
always have to select the worst possible diagnosis from WebMD and other health
sites. Also, it's very important that they not get into the habit of scanning
their bodies for aches and pains. The body doesn't always function perfectly
but this does not mean that they are ill!”
And, if you are still mulling over the best answer to the upfront multiple choice question....Although my good
friend Marci assured me that a bent eyelash does really hurt (she’s suffered from this
ailment it in the past), the best answer to the question is C.
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