social media is another likely contributor.
“It’s much easier to bully,” Miron said. “The apps are getting smarter and smarter at providing anonymity and hiding activity from grown-ups.”
Today’s youth face many pressures and some may hit the breaking point, said Pamela Cantor, a clinical psychologist in Natick, Mass., who specializes in suicide prevention. She wasn’t involved with the new study.
Cantor said some kids are “intensely programmed” to achieve and have too little time to just enjoy their youth. Other issues include family instability, competition, social pressures and “parents who try to smooth the way so that when their children hit a snag they do not know how to cope,” she said.
These teens are often exposed to violence, from “horrifying” school shootings to
