Happy Mother’s Day! It’s been a day of mixed emotions – I made a lovely (even if I do say so myself) slow cooked beef brisket roast for my wife, her sister and my mother in law, so 3 mums in total, but also it’s another reminder my mum is in a dementia care home, I did speak with her, but she has no idea who I am or what mother’s day is. She is well looked after though, so things could be much worse.
Do you ever have those weeks where you feel you’ve got too many plates spinning? This has certainly been one of them for me! When I was younger I relished lots of things happening at once, but as I’ve got older I have very much noticed that I’m far more effective if I focus on one thing at a time. It’s also true that however much time I have, the number of things to do seems to mushroom to fill it, and letting go of the idea that it is ever possible to get everything done and have an empty ‘to do’ list is rather liberating!
I’d like to write today about two things, one medical and one non-medical. Let’s go back to front. As the Dad of a 14 and 12 year old, I’m acutely aware of the influence of social media on Gen Z and alpha (I think I checked the cross-over date and I have one of each). I have real issue with ‘influencers’ who by virtue of posting reactionary things online seem to have become credible in the eyes of those generations, never mind the clear conflict of interests that exist. With respect to health advice, the best evidence-based guidance does not produce sufficient reaction to get much traction online in this space. The truth is the things that work are boring – regular sleep, good nutrition, exercise. New hacks will garner eyeballs, but very rarely make any meaningful health difference. However now and then I read or hear of something truly gobsmacking and that’s what I wanted to mention today. I expect the vast majority of my readers and not Gen Z or alpha (although I know there are some), yet everyone is likely to have a friend or relative who is, so I mention this here to bear it in mind for them.
Looksmaxxing.
This isn’t a typo. I remember being a teenager using words I thought cool that my parents had little idea what they meant, but that diction pales into comparison compared with today (That makes me sound so old, I’m only 47!!). When I saw the word Looksmaxxing I just palmed it off as another 6/7 (if you know, you know). It’s much worse than that.
It’s essentially an online trend whereby (predominantly boys and young men) try to ‘maximise’ their ‘looks’ by any means possible. There is lots wrong with this. Firstly, the reason to do so is to get ratings from other internet users, which as a tool for shattering the self-esteem of anyone, yet alone a pre or peri-pubescent young person, is seemingly limitless. Secondly, any means possible means just that. There are reports of children taking a hammer to their cheek bones in order to ‘max’ them, or using dangerous chemicals on their skin, all driven by influencers online.
Is it any wonder than when surveyed half of Gen Z wish social media had never been invented? Is it any wonder Australia have banned it for under 16s and we may follow suit? My wife and I regularly speak openly with our kids about social media, and don’t let them have it. I used to have twitter, but found it too easy to waste time on it. I tried narrowing my feed but to no avail, so just went cold turkey and stopped using it many years ago. I do not miss it one bit. I do not have snapchat or Tiktok either which have consistently been top of the concern list for teenagers (the amount of online bullying related to these are frightening). It’s actually interesting how little my kids care that they don’t have those apps. Of course they spend time online, and beyond setting the technological guardrails as we are able we don’t snoop.
My message today is therefore simple, have those conversations with young people, be aware of dangerous trends like looksmaxxing. I cannot imagine how devastating it would be to have a child injured as a consequence of social media, whether physically or emotionally. It’s incumbent on those of us who grew up before the internet, whilst recognising we certainly don’t have all the answers, to provide healthy guidance where we can. I’m really trying not to be too ‘preachy’ but there is so much evidence of harm here, it’s something I feel very strongly about.
Apologies, it looks like I have written rather more than intended on this topic, and I will leave the medical topic until next week (spoiler alert – strength training is beneficial!). However my video is very much medical – I discuss new research linking genes that cause inherited cardiomyopathies to those that cause atrial fibrillation!