News19,135 Articles

August 3, 2009

Facebook linked to teen suicide

Archbishop fears breakdown of relationships

Carrie-Ann Skinner

Social networks such as Facebook could lead to suicide in teens, warns the Archbishop of Westminster.

Vincent Nichols, Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said friendships formed via social networks are "transient relationships". He warned that the collapse of those relationships put added pressure on teenagers.

Nichols told the Sunday Telegraph: "Among young people often a key factor in them committing suicide is the trauma of transient relationships. They throw themselves into a friendship or network of friendships, then it collapses and they're desolate.

"Friendship is not a commodity, friendship is something that is hard work and enduring when it's right," he added.

Nichols also slammed the use of text messages and emails in modern-day society.

"I think there's a worry that an excessive use, or an almost exclusive use of text and emails means that as a society we're losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that's necessary for living together and building a community."

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See also: Firms allowing Facebook access face productivity drop

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