Doctors Group Warns About Facebook And Teen Depression

ST. CLOUD -- A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says there is a new phenomenon developing called "Facebook Depression." The report says Facebook can provide a skewed view of what's really going on. And, some teens say that comparing online friends and photos amounts to a popularity contest.

Dr. Scott Palmer is CentraCare's Psychology Coordinator. He believes depression is a pre-existing condition in many of the teens and not a result of social networking sites. But, Dr. Palmer admits more research is needed.

In any case, he says parents need to get involved and become "Facebook friendly" and talk with their teens about possible "cyber-bullying" and other potential pitfalls of social networking sites.

Dr. Palmer says there are many positive aspects to Facebook and other social networking sites too.