Affirmation now substitutes for accomplishment.
Young Western women’s obsession with words of affirmation is killing them. Young women are in social freefall, disconnected from classic American society. Addiction, self-harm, deviant behavior, anti-social personality disorders, and anger; always anger, follow millions of our young throughout their formative years. You don’t have to be bad parents to have a child that defies and revials every precept you hold dear. The more intelligent the child, the likelier your child is susceptible to falling down the rabbit hole. Last week, one of my best friends lost their child to the unnatural demands of a world gone crazy, creating artificial constructs many children can’t cope with. Some survive and move on, others carry their scars for life, and a few don’t make it into adulthood. The common thread that connects all the harm is sophisticated social media that works like a virus, looking for the key traits that lock your child into a destructive and all-consuming narrative.
Brandi Nicole Kochan operated the Runawaysiren940 YouTube channel for five-plus years. She was residing in Cambodia (an entirely separate but relevant issue) when she passed away on January 9, 2025, at the age of 23 from mismanagement of her Type 1 Diabetes. She was also America’s latest victim of social media.
Social Media Isn’t the Danger—It’s the Obsession with Words of Affirmation:-
Social media, per se, is not the danger. The danger is a cast of characters that enables fragile and vulnerable individuals to seek affirmation amongst dozens of highly specialized “channels” that focus on the individual vanities, psyches, fears, gender affirmation questions, medical issues, psychological concerns, and more that all children once shared but through the normal processes of parental involvement, school, healthy relationships, play, eventually working themselves out into normal, healthy young adults like prior generations have forever.
Today, many of our young people are in suspended animation, living their lives subsumed by social media. Social media can be innocuous, but for millions of our young, it has a central role in their arrested development, leading to half-baked ideas on life that range from radical feminism and nihilism to a misunderstanding of relationships and the need for face-to-face socialization. Many social media adherents foster a hatred of the American system, designed, top to bottom, to encourage the individual’s success and the inevitable failure that is part and parcel of our system of risk and reward. Instead of understanding the beauty and wonder of capitalism, our young frequently are brainwashed into believing we are part of a colonial past and a monstrous construct that leaves people behind, exploiting them. Social media has the power to destroy the American dream while still in the womb of our young people. This is the primary danger, perhaps the intent of social media today: its ability to turn our children against our parents, country, and values.
And, it’s not just TikTok methodically exploiting our young; it’s YouTube, FB, Snapchat, and many other players that exist to attach your child’s eyes to their apps for hours every day. The average young woman spends 5.3 hours a day on social media. Effectively, this is more than anything else they engage in, including sports, school, family activities, play, etc. Isn’t it obvious that this can’t be healthy? If so, what are we doing about it?
Practical Guide to Reducing Social Media Reliance in Young Women:-
Reducing young women’s attachment to social media requires a multifaceted approach. Here are some strategies that I found from Pew Research:
- Promote Awareness: Educate young women about the potential negative impacts of excessive social media use, including mental health issues and distorted body image.
- Encourage Healthy Habits: Promote a balanced lifestyle, including physical activity, hobbies, and face-to-face social interactions.
- Set Boundaries: Help set limits on social media usage, such as specific times of day or duration.
- Positive Role Models: Highlight influential women prioritizing real-life interactions and self-care over social media presence.
- Tech-Free Zones: Create areas or times where social media and digital devices are not allowed, like during family meals or in bedrooms at night.
- Digital Literacy: Teach critical thinking skills to help young women a wisely and understand the difference between online personas that are merely words of affirmation and reality.
- Support Systems: Provide support through counseling, peer groups, or activities that build self-esteem and resilience.
- Mindful Usage: Encourage mindful social media usage, focusing on positive engagement and meaningful connections rather than mindless scrolling.
I want to add one more: Regardless of social and peer pressure, consider banning social media for children under 15 and substituting a flip phone. Studies have shown that children’s brains don’t develop at the same rate and are highly susceptible to curated influences. Some children may be ok with social media at 13, while some may not be ready at 18. To honor Brandi, think of your own child and what you would do to see your son or daughter blossom instead of falling down a rabbit hole. Outcomes, from social isolation, self-harm, missed opportunities, and various dysphoria issues, should no longer be considered a normal stage your child will grow out of.
Social media has created a new, sometimes deadly malaise in mostly free Western cultures that is destroying our youth and creating a generation of kidults who aren’t growing up. Parenting always requires tough choices. It is unfortunate that our religious and public services, particularly in blue states, encourage and even protect ultimately destructive behavior. It’s time for a reckoning—no more dead daughters.
Recent data from the CDC indicates that many young American women are facing significant mental health challenges. According to a 2023 report, nearly 60% of U.S. teen girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. Additionally, 30% of girls seriously considered attempting suicide, which is double the rate among boys and a significant increase from a decade ago. This is neither normal nor acceptable.
Conclusion:-
Parents, do the hard thing and remove or ration social media use; better yet, don’t let your young, fuzzy-headed child start interacting with a siren-voiced algorithm that cares not for your child’s welfare. It could be a matter of life or death.
Rest in peace, Brandi.
God bless America.
Allan J. Feifer—Patriot
Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com
Recent Comments