Emotional distress in adolescents has increased by 11 points after the pandemic, with a particular impact on 17- and 18-year-old girls. Health professionals in Zaragoza warn that this suffering has become invisible, as it is no longer expressed through disruptive behavior in class, but through isolation and mood swings. Clinics are overwhelmed and resources are lacking, demanding an urgent response from parents and administrations.
Screens and Algorithms: The New Emotional Thermometer 📱
Digital tools allow monitoring behavioral patterns, but their use in youth mental health is limited. Activity tracking apps or social networks can detect changes in posting frequency or connection time, indicators of possible isolation. However, the gap between available technology and its clinical application is wide. While algorithms improve, professionals call for more human resources and specific training to interpret this data without falling into false positives.
The Algorithm That Knows You Better Than Your Parents 🤖
It turns out that a data cluster knows you spend eight hours a day watching cat videos, but your parents still think the problem is that you don't clean your room. The irony is that while apps recommend content to improve your mood, waiting lists for youth mental health are growing like crazy. Perhaps we should ask artificial intelligence to send us a reminder to talk to our children, before the algorithm does it for us.