Okay. So we've all heard of 'freaks' who cut themselves. Or the stars who've come clean - Angelina Jolie, Christine Ricci and even Princess Di. That's not really new.
However, cutting becoming the new rage in high schools is something that many of us many not be aware of. In fact, there are many websites that actually promote the trend. That's right. There are actual online communities for people who have the habit of hacking at their own flesh. And the terrible thing is, these sites are attracting teens and popularizing the trend in high schools.
While some kids are 'cutting' as a result of peer pressure, others are experiencing extreme and raging pain and are using 'cutting' as an outlet for those emotions.
Whatever the reasons, this trend is terrifying for parents and educators and something that can't be treated lightly. Are cutters suicidal? Probably not. But it definitely puts these kids one step closer to the edge and as the song goes: they're 'about to break'.
Scary Teen Trends
'Blood Red', 'Razor Blade Kisses', and 'The Cutting World' (Parents Beware!)
Trend Themes
1. Rise of Self-harm Cultures - Online communities promoting self-harm are popularizing the trend in high schools, creating disruptive opportunities for mental health professionals.
2. Emotional Regulation Apps - Apps that offer alternative healthy outlets for emotional regulation as a means of reducing self-harm behaviors could be a disruptive innovation opportunity for digital health startups.
3. Use of Social Media for Mental Health Education - Social media campaigns that focus on educating teenagers about the dangers of self-harm trends and promoting mental health awareness could be a disruption opportunity for marketing agencies.
Industry Implications
1. Mental Health Professionals - Mental health professionals need new, innovative strategies to help teens overcome self-harm and promote healthy coping mechanisms.
2. Digital Health Startups - Startups developing digital health apps to support emotional regulation as an alternative to self-harm behaviors have a big opportunity in this market.
3. Marketing Agencies - Marketing agencies that specialize in social media campaigns have an opportunity to create campaigns to educate teenagers on the dangers of self-harm as well as promote mental health awareness.