Does social media harm the kids who are addicted to it because of their constant need for approval/acceptance? How?

Very thoughtful and moving reply to my question my friend. You enhanced the quality of my simple question with your answer for which I thank you. I disagree with a small portion of it though."...or the lie of a more closer connection to people globally...". Why do you think that is a lie  WW? Are you not a citizen of the world? You are not a nationalist or an isolationist are you?  So how is it a lie that you are aware of and care about people everywhere and not just your own kind? I do and I am certainly not unique. The Donald J. Trump idea of nationalism,isolationism is not anything to which I subscribe. I think those who are that way are paranoid and frightened and feel safer only among "their own kind" and for some that means gun people who are white. That's it. If you are NOT a gun person and are a person of color you will never be "their" kind. I don't want to be embraced by them and I never would be. We are mutually exclusive which suits me just fine. I embrace having immigrants from other countries come to America and make a home for themselves here. I am FIRST GENERATION American so I am very close to them. They come here to make a better life from all over the world. They leave everything they have ever known because they believe our country is the best country in the world. Should we not appreciate them for that and receive them with kindness and grace ? Other than that I  like your answer a lot! Thank you and Happy  Friday! :)

We are in complete and exact agreement my friend! For years I have deplored the obvious fact that people relate far better to their electronic gadgets than they do to one another. I think they separate us and make it less likely that we will ever embrace/accept/understand one another. It is our electronic gadgets that we could not relinquish and with which we are in love...not other people. You cannot go back. It will get worse. Just as it is impossible to put toothpaste back in a tube so too will it impossible to get back to relating to one another face-to-face, heart-to-heart, mind-to-mind.  The world is less to my liking now than before. I LOVE the internet and emails and chatting with folks who are thoughtful, civil, cordial and knowledgeable. I can travel all over the world in the comfort of my home at any hour of the day and talk to people whom I would never meet in my "real" life. But nothing takes the place of seeing a smile, getting a hug, having someone give you a hanky to wipe away the tears. There is nothing like  human contact and we are  moving farther away  from it every day.  I mean we have folks 6000 miles away killing "the enemy" and innocent  bystanders. They are safely ensconced in some military facility and never are in harm's way. If we can do that we can do anything. Thank you for the kind words. Right backatacha WW.   Happy Thursday!  :)