Last week was National Suicide Prevention Week, a week dedicated to bringing awareness about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide. We’ve never needed this more. Suicide rates, especially among female teens, are rising rapidly.

According to this recent study, between 2010 and 2015, reports of adolescents’ “depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates” increased significantly. Why? The data in this study is pointing to social media and more time spent in front of a screen.

The adolescents in this study who spent more time on their phones and on social media were more likely to report mental health issues. Since 2010, this generation has spent more and more time on their phones, looking at social media, watching YouTube, etc. The fact this date coincides with the year depression and suicide rates began to increase is not a coincidence.

For teen girls, the statistics are especially alarming. Between 2007 and 2015, suicide rates for girls age 15-19 doubled. While all teens are spending more time on screens, social media affects girls differently. It could have a more profound impact on them, the way they view themselves and their successes, or failures.

Rachel Simmons, author of Enough As She Is, said in…