A major mystery on teens, suicide, and social media

CDC survey indicates banning teens from social media risks INCREASING teen suicide rates

Can anyone on here help explain a major mystery in the CDC’s definitive 2021 Adolescent Behavior and Experiences Survey:

Note the top four lines. Compared to teens who rarely or never go online (less than 1 hour a day), teens who are online a lot (5+ hours per day) are much more depressed, sadder, and likely to consider and plan suicide (OR > 1.0). That’s in line with the conventional view.

Now, look at the next four lines. They show a complete reversal. Compared to teens who rarely/never go online, teens who go online a lot are LESS likely to actually ATTEMPT suicide and to suffer a serious (injurious) suicide attempt requiring hospitalization (OR < 1.0).

That is, among the teens who consider or plan suicide, nearly all who spend little time online go on to attempt suicide, compared to just one-third of the teens who spend many hours online.

How can the same 7,000 teens report on the same survey that being online a lot is associated with substantially MORE depression, sadness, suicide ideation, and suicide planning – and also with substantially LESS actual suicidal behavior and injury? How can teens with poor mental health and/or sadness (the ones we think are most vulnerable) report that being online a lot is associated with substantially fewer suicide attempts?

What major factor intervenes to prevent suicide attempts, especially serious ones, among teens who are online a lot that doesn’t deter teens who are not online? This pattern, which is obvious for those who download and analyze the full CDC survey, applies across several measures to all ages and both sexes of teens with only small variations.