2023 Melanie Khashadourian 2023 Melanie Khashadourian

Evan, 18

Media Consumption: Very often/Every day

Favorite Media: Movies/TV, Music

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

I interact with media/technology every day. I use my phone for social media, games, and technologies like videos and photos. I use my computer for schoolwork, internet searches, and access to media sites and shopping. I use these materials every day to entertain and support myself in my daily life.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

My peers and I mostly use it for entertainment purposes. Apps like TikTok, Clash of Clans, and Snapchat are what my peers mostly use; apps that help them connect with their friends and family and pure entertainment apps that help my peers pass the time. We also use media and technology for school. Online class sites as well as Zoom and Microsoft Office are all sorts of mediums that we use.

What do you use media for?

I personally use media mostly for social, school, and entertainment purposes. This includes social media, like Instagram and Snap, Netflix and Amazon Prime, and Canvas and Microsoft word. These are all technologies that I use in my daily life.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about it is how much access it gives us. The ability to look up literally anything, the ability to see or learn about anything in the world, and the ability to connect with people far away in an instant is my favorite part of technology. My least favorite thing is how addictive it is. It’s so easy to get lost in its features and videos and binge-watch that it becomes an extremely easy addiction. The highlights and colors and algorithms are meant to keep users entertained and that sort of dedication to obtaining viewership is my least favorite part about technology.

What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?

Stay creative. There are so many inputs and opinions in today’s world of media that everything is starting to blend together into the same thing. Uniqueness is hard to find these days so when artists come along with new creative ideas it really keeps the media that I interact with fresh and entertaining.

What media do you interact with the most?

I probably interact with social media the most. I’m always on my phone and constantly checking the apps I have and I tend to get lost in them. Apps like Instagram, Tiktok, and Snapchat use up most of my screen time and media use.

Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?

I get it the most from social media. Influential accounts are also posting newsworthy things so I tend to get a lot of it through social media. News accounts on my phone also help keep me updated.

What media helps you stay busy/stay calm during challenging times?

Mostly entertainment media, like games and movies/tv shows. They are a source of pure entertainment and transport me to a world that is calm or busy instead of our challenging times. They offer an escape and a source of fun and joy in the troubles of real life and even a sense of control. The fantasies and thrills of TV and video games are definitely the go-tos in challenging times.

What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

That sitting still in the same place doing the same over and over doesn’t work for me. New experiences are needed to help grow the mind and there was a huge lack of that throughout COVID and other challenging times. This repetitive cycle of negative behavior draws one down and keeps them from doing other things in life that are beneficial. Pursue the things that interest you and you will be able to break the cycle of isolation and difficulty that challenges like COVID put on people.

Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

Not to get too invested in the glamor of social media. After all that time spent on my phone during the pandemic, I saw so many highlights of people's lives. And yet I knew the reality that most people were living in and considered that the filtered world I see on my phone isn’t as positive as the posts make it seem. I also learned that social media can be addictive and depressing and that too much time spent consuming likes, comments, and videos can be detrimental to human health and mindset.

Interviewed by: Melanie Khashadourian, UCLA student

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2023 Osheen Abnous 2023 Osheen Abnous

Amy, 18

Media consumption: 5-6 hours a day

Favorite media/technology: Instagram

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

We use media and technology often. My mom is on Facebook everyday and my dad watches the news through TV everyday.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

My peers and I interact through technology. We send each other TikTok’s and Instagram posts regularly, and it is one of the most popular ways we interact with each other, especially with my friends who are at schools far away from me.

What do you use media for?

I use media for entertainment purposes which is mainly to pass time, I search for cooking recipes, workout-related content, I communicate with friends, and I use it for Netflix.

What is your most favorite/least favorite thing about technology?

My most favorite thing about media is where I find my entertainment. Certain posts that you come across make your day because it’s so funny. My least favorite thing about media is that it is so toxic for young people because you can get influenced so easily, but not everything applies to everyone, and people end up falling into a trap.

What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?

I would want the people who create the media to know that there are a lot of people out there who are scarily swayed into doing things they see on the internet. Although I understand that it is one of the main purposes for making them, I believe that creators should be extremely careful with what they choose to post.

What media do you interact with the most?

The media that I interact with the most are TikTok and Snapchat.

Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world?

I obtain most of my information about what’s happening in the world through people I am close with or through social media.

What media helps you stay busy/ stay calm during challenging times?

I feel like scrolling on TikTok is nice for me to unwind during challenging times or before going to bed. It takes one’s mind off of things and it is an easy watch.

What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

One of the important lessons I learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that human interaction is very important for people. A few of my friends who were already introverted became even more introverted, and lost a lot of social interaction skills because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

My dependency on social media for entertainment increased because I was at home, and I did not have much else to do during my free time.

Interviewed by: Osheen Abnous, UCLA student

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mental health Vicki Harrison, MSW and Adrianna Ruggiero mental health Vicki Harrison, MSW and Adrianna Ruggiero

Avoiding Mental Health Stigmatizations & Encouraging Help Seeking Through Entertainment Media

Mass media have the power to shape our perceptions, attitudes and beliefs toward certain groups, issues and individuals. For better or worse, most forms of media, including entertainment media, serve as primary sources of information for many viewers, influencing our understanding of those around us and in turn, our future behaviors and actions.

Unfortunately, for those struggling with mental illness, the depictions of characters with mental health issues often focus on negative and extreme stereotypical traits that portray these individuals as a danger to society and themselves. These depictions are not only inaccurate and unrepresentative of the millions of people worldwide who face mental health challenges, but they also reinforce preconceived stigmatizations which can lead to diminished self-esteem and social exclusion

Mental health professionals are often portrayed as odd, unhelpful, unrelatable and/or unavailable, which can have major consequences on those affected by mental illness. These negative portrayals can interfere with help seeking behaviors and prevent individuals from receiving treatment due to factors such as fear, shame, embarrassment and discrimination. A startling two-thirds of individuals with a mental health disorder never seek professional help.

Too often, entertainment programs portray mental illness as something that destroys lives and fail to show viewers that mental illness is common and treatable. By depicting treatment and recovery, the media can help normalize mental health issues, fight stigma, offer hope, and connect viewers with resources for themselves or loved ones.

In a survey commissioned by the mental health organization Mind, based in the UK, findings showed that after seeing a news report or drama involving a character with mental health challenges, more than half of the respondents expressed that it had improved their understanding of mental health issues and a quarter said it had inspired them to start a conversation about mental health. Furthermore, out of the respondents affected by mental health issues, one third were encouraged to seek professional help and get assistance. 

Several other studies have highlighted the power of the media to reduce stigma, increase understanding of mental health and increase help-seeking behaviors. For example, one study found that participants who watched a film depicting an accurate portrayal of an individual with schizophrenia, were less likely to endorse stigmatizing attitudes toward individuals with the illness compared to participants who saw an inaccurate portrayal of schizophrenia. Another study found that having a strong relationship to the main character of a television series who had obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was associated with lower OCD stereotypes and greater willingness to seek and disclose mental health treatment specifically among participants with a mental illness. 

It is clear that the media have the power to influence our perceptions, attitudes and beliefs about individuals living with mental illness and also to help those affected. Therefore, it is in the best interest of millions of viewers and their loved ones for content creators to portray characters with a mental illness accurately and positively.

Here are some actionable insights for storytellers: 

  1. Avoid perpetuating stereotypes about mental illness that may be stigmatizing and harmful. 

  2. Avoid including stigmatizing language in scripts, such as “crazy,” “psycho,” “looney,” “wacko,” etc.

  3. Avoid making mental illness the defining feature of a character’s personality. 

  4. Introduce likeable and relatable characters who also might happen to encounter mental health challenges. 

  5. Portray doctors and therapists as helpful and supportive rather than incompetent or unavailable.  

  6. Model help-seeking behaviors such as talking to therapists, talking to trusted friends/adults and calling/texting helplines. 

  7. Model help-seeking behaviors not only for serious or diagnosable problems but also for common challenges such as stress, divorce and death. 

  8. Show supporting cast characters modeling supportive behaviors and describing options for seeking help. 

  9. Insert message of mental health treatment, hope and recovery. 

Vicki Harrison, MSW

Program Director, Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing

Adrianna Ruggiero

Senior Research Coordinator for CSS

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