Social media addict or terrible parent? Mother kills daughter over a missing tablet
For those of us that grew up in the ’80s and 90’s, we saw what drug addicts were capable of. Stealing from family members, selling their babies, granting sexual favors in exchange for drugs, etc. In the media then and even today, during the opioid crisis, drug addicts were depicted as unhealthy, fragile, nodding off, incoherent zombies. Wearing winter coats in the middle of summer, pushing a t.v. in a shopping cart down the street, scratching, twitching, running nose or high energy were all common symptoms of drug abuse. While all the above is true, there is another side of drug addicts that isn’t discussed. Drug addicts were often dangerous and often feared by the average citizen. Not all addicts were the Tyronne Biggums from the Dave Chappelle show or Pookie from Chris Rock in New Jack City. These were comedians playing a role; the drug addicts were aggressive, dangerous, and would kill for a hit. While these drug addicts died off at the beginning of the 21st century, could internet addiction give rise to the aggressive drug addicts of the last century? A recent case may give us an answer unfortunately. Social media addict or terrible parent? Mother kills daughter over a missing tablet.
Last Sunday, Neighbors heard over 10 arguments between a mom and her 9-year-old daughter, her 13-year-old sister reported. Usually, the police were involved, according to court documents, in domestic violence between the mother and her ex. This time it was different. However, a Brooklyn mom beat her two daughters for 2 hours, according to neighbors. Tenants state that the complex is quiet except for the mother and her two daughters. Children’s services have never been called on the family despite numerous domestic violence situations occurring inside the apartment.
Drug addicts have never kept a family together, quite the contrary. The same can be said for a Social media addict. Originally designed to bring long distanced family and friends closer together. However, it drives apart local close family and friends. Dinner time conversations are a thing of the past; family time comes at a long second to social media. And this is the problem. What separates drug and social media addicts are the substance and the stigma.
People use drugs to escape from their perceived harsh or boring realities; social media/internet is no different. Yet one is socially accepted, and one isn’t. One can get you time spent in jail, and another lands you in jail on their website, but not in real life. The government has spent billions funding a war on drugs, dare programs, education, promotional videos, etc., regardless of their involvement in the shipments on how they got here(Iran/contra, etc.). Regarding social media, however, the government wants to be a participant. Running elections ads, various propaganda and smear campaigns, or even having their own pages for voters to stay in touch. The government is leveraging social media to its advantage to stay relevant. The longer you stay entangled in the world wide web, the better for them.
Sadly, humans won’t be able to contain superintelligent machines.
Public opinion rules the masses, and cases like this will continue until social media addicts become stigmatized. To be fair, this case could be the result of years of built-up tension from domestic violence, and the missing tablet is the straw that broke the camel’s back. Maybe when more information comes across, we will know. However, chewing the last stick of gum wouldn’t cause someone to beat their child for 2 hours. If there was an eye or earwitness account of consistent abuse of this mother abusing her kids, then the tablet has nothing to do with this. But children’s services were never called, and the only court documents are domestic violence involving her ex. Therefore, we can’t deny the role that the missing tablet played.
Diminishing the amount of grey and white matter in the brain. The brain needs a healthy amount of grey and white matter to function well. White matter helps us think fast and focus well. Grey matter helps us process information and make good decisions. Excessive screen time can decrease these fatty tissues, making concentration, focus, problem-solving, and decision-making difficult.
Pronghornpsych.com
Social isolation is one of the symptoms of internet addiction. According to her neighbors, the Brooklyn mother didn’t allow her kids to play with others. The medical examiner reported that the 9-year-old victim died from internal bleeding due to blunt force impacting the head and the body. Furthermore, the thirteen-year-old daughter reports that her sister tried to escape the abuse that day by running and hiding under the bed. The mother eventually grabbed her leg, removing her from the bed and breaking her leg and the bed fell on the child’s head as a result. Could being a social media addict cause this or, at the very least, make someone more mentally and emotionally unstable than they already were. The answer is a resounding yes.
Studies show that consistent and excessive social media usage rewires the neurological circuits of the brain, making them just as harmful as substance abuse addiction. The study measures the patient’s ability to handle impulsive behavior and emotions. According to the report, “it is common that the patients aren’t aware of the changes to their emotions and behaviors despite it being obvious to those around them.” So, as our addictions rewire our neurological circuits causing us to act impulsively, we aren’t self-aware of our behavior, although it may be obvious to those around us. While research is ongoing, people have been murdered over lost phones and video games before.
13 years ago, ABC News reported on teens who murdered over lost phones and video games. A girl set her house on fire because her grandmother took her cell phone. A Michigan teen shot both her parents over a cell phone. An Ohio teen killed his mother over a video game. I don’t even think weed has made any teens kill their parents, yet it’s still illegal in most states. Are ALL these instances results of kids with mental health issues, or will we be honest and admit that we are destroying ourselves with social media, the internet, and video game addiction?
In conclusion, Not all people become social media addicts, and not all people get addicted to drugs. But a lot of people do, and that’s the problem. Social media is highly addictive and, as we will see, will become the gateway drug for the metaverse and virtual reality to eventually enslave us all.
After reading the article, in your opinion, is this the case of a bad parent or social media addict gone bad? Let us know in the comment section below.