The rise of negative news surrounding major global issues is emotionally taxing, particularly for those highly empathic. While empathy fosters altruism and social bonding, excessive exposure to distressing stories risks overwhelming individuals, potentially leading to increased sadness and discouragement. This struggle has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated existing mental health challenges. Although the pandemic heightened anxiety and depression rates, indicators of these issues were on the rise before its onset, indicating a deeper societal concern related to our pervasive consumption of distressing news through social media.
Technology and increasing time spent online has brought harsh aspects of life closer to everyone more often and to adolescents and even children.
However, the increase in indicators of challenges to mental well-being began before the pandemic and rates of anxiety and depression have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
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