A psychiatrist says social media is one of the major contributors to mental illness, especially in children.

Dr Gagu Matsebula says social media exposes children to a lot of dangerous content, and has advised parents to discuss some of the causes of mental illness with their children.

“As the kids are still growing, they are still going to understand that media or social media has an impact on them. So they start to feel sad and think of death. Because they think what is the point.

So it is important for us to remember teens are not just young adults but kids who are still growing up. Also developing and yet to learn. So social media plays a very adverse part on their mental health.”

Teenage Suicide | Over 7 400 treated for attempted suicide:

The National Department of Health statistics indicate that 7 426 children under the age of 18 attempted to take their own lives between April and December last year.

The Department of Basic Education released the stats on Monday to mark teen suicide prevention week which started on Sunday and ends on February 16.