BY MEGAN FAROKHMANESH

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

 

You're watching multisource health news analysis from Newsy.

 

Here’s a riddle for you: what helps you empathize with others, but also lends itself to the most self-absorbed? Provides new tools for students, but also distracts them from learning? According to a new study -- it’s Facebook. 

 

Larry Rosen -- a Cal State psychologist -- reported his findings at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention. According to the LA Times, his research found that social networking is linked to teens who...

 

“...have more stomach aches, sleeping problems, anxiety and depression, and they often missed more school...The social network feeds into a narcissist’s M.O. perfectly by allowing people to broadcast themselves 24/7 on their own terms.”

 

But hold the phone, doctor -- haven’t we heard this argument before? Previous studies in both 2008 and 2010 have claimed the same thing. Here’s a 2010 report from MSNBC:

 

ANCHOR: “Some people’s social networking profiles are a sign they are disconnected from reality. The study found that Facebook users who spent the most time updating their status, uploading the new photos and commenting on their friends’ walls may be narcissistic and have low self-esteem.”

 

So it’s less of a new idea and more of a growing trend. But don’t cover your mirrors and boot your kid’s computer out the window just yet -- it’s not all bad news. Mashable says the study also shows that...

 

“...teens are developing the ability to show virtual empathy for distressed Facebook friends and that the empathy is actually well-received by friends, positively influencing their mood.”

 

But Rosen’s study did uncover another real shocker -- students have trouble concentrating without the warmth of their digital devices. SlashGear notes that students...

 

“...were only able to focus for two to three minutes before moving on to other things like texting or apps. They called that ADD in my day.”

 

So -- wait, Facebook makes kids more narcissistic, but also more empathetic? The contradiction wasn’t lost on 24/7 Wall St,  who notes,

 

“...Facebook can be good or bad for children. That makes it like comic books, video games, TV, copies of Playboy, and Google searches.”

 

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