社交媒體上近來流行“賣慘”，連名人都利用“賣慘”來賺流量，結果就是“狼來了”：賣慘的人多了，真慘的人也就沒人信了。到網上尋求同情的青少年不但得不到同情，反而在網上遭遇了批評和欺凌，心理健康問題也因此越發嚴重。

A new social media trend called ‘sadfishing’ is harming the mental health of children, a new report has warned.

一份新報告警告說，社交媒體上新近流行的“賣慘”行為正在危害孩子們的心理健康。

什么是sadfishing？

In basic terms sadfishing is when someone posts about an emotional problem in an attempt to attract attention or sympathy from followers.

簡而言之，sadfishing指的是某人發布有關情緒問題的帖子，試圖引起關注者的關注或同情，可以理解為“求同情帖”。

The Cambridge dictionary defines sadfishing as the practice of writing about one’s unhappiness or emotional problems on social media, especially in a vague way, in order to attract attention and sympathetic responses.

劍橋詞典將sadfishing定義為在社交媒體上書寫有關自己的不快樂或情緒問題的一種做法，尤其是那種描述得很模糊的賣慘文，以引起人們的關注和同情。

由“博同情”演變為“賣慘”

According to experts the craze has been fuelled by celebrities who have been accused of posting exaggerated claims about their emotional problems to generate sympathy and draw clicks onto their sites.

據專家稱，一些名人加劇了這種賣慘潮流，這些名人在個人主頁上夸張地描述自己的情感問題，以博得同情并吸引點擊量。

But while people are quick to criticise celebrities for overdoing the sympathy calls, new research has found young people facing genuine distress are often accused of jumping on the bandwagon when they turn to the internet for support.

但是，盡管人們很喜歡批評那些賣慘名人，但是新研究發現，當年輕人面臨真正的苦惱并到網上尋求支持時，也會被人們指責是在趕潮流。

jump on the bandwagon: 一窩蜂做某事，跟隨潮流

The new study, by Digital Awareness UK (DAUK) found that young people with genuine mental health issues who legitimately seek support online are facing unfair and distressing criticism that they are jumping onto the same publicity seeking bandwagon.

一項由“英國數字意識”團體開展的新研究發現，真正有心理健康問題的年輕人在網上合理地尋求支持的時候，卻被視為跟風“賣慘”而遭遇了不公平和令人沮喪的批評。

In some cases this rejection can go on to damage teenagers’ already fragile self-esteem, with some reporting that they have been bullied as a consequence.

在某些情況下，這種排斥會進一步損害青少年本已脆弱的自尊心，有些青少年還報告說自己因此而受到了欺凌。

And in extreme examples some are left vulnerable to sexual ‘grooming’ online.

在一些極端的例子中，甚至有人被網絡性引誘的犯罪分子盯上了。

The study, commissioned by the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), is based on face-to-face interviews with more than 50,000 children aged 11 to 16.

這項由英國校長會議委托開展的研究基于對5萬多名11歲至16歲孩子的面對面訪談。

"DAUK is concerned about the number of students who are bullied for sadfishing (through comments on social media, on messaging apps or face-to-face), thus exacerbating what could be a serious mental health problem. We have noticed that students are often left feeling disappointed by not getting the support they need online,” the report says.

報告稱：“英國數字意識團體擔心受到賣慘欺凌（指通過社交媒體、聊天應用或面對面的評論被欺凌）的學生人數增加，會加劇原本就嚴重的心理健康問題。我們注意到，學生經常因為沒有在網上獲得所需的支持而感到失望。”

exacerbate[?ɡ?z?s?rbe?t]: vt. 使加劇；使惡化；激怒

"Groomers can also use comments that express a need for emotional support as a platform to connect with young people and gain their trust, only to try and exploit it at a later point,” it continues.

“網絡誘騙犯也可以把表達情感支持需求的評論作為平臺，與年輕人建立聯系，獲得他們的信任，以便在日后加以利用。”

"At a time when young people are forming and shaping their identities, it’s understandable why they would choose to use social media as a platform for gauging opinions from others. However, in doing so, they are of course opening themselves up to abusive comments. In addition, positive feedback can result in increased self-esteem while negative feedback can reduce it.”

“年輕人正在形成、塑造自我的時期，不難理解為什么他們會選擇使用社交媒體作為征詢他人意見的平臺。然而，他們這樣做的后果就是讓自己敞開大門接受辱罵性的評論。此外，積極的反饋會增強他們的自尊心，而消極的反饋則會降低他們的自尊心。”

The report comes as it was revealed last month that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media may be at higher risk of mental health problems.

就在上個月，媒體發布報道稱，每天在社交媒體上花費3小時以上時間的青少年可能面臨更高的心理健康問題風險。

Findings from 6,595 youngsters aged 12 to 15 in the US found those who used social media more heavily were more likely to report issues such as depression, anxiety and loneliness, as well as aggression and anti-social behaviour, than teenagers who did not use social media.

對6595名12歲至15歲的美國年輕人的研究發現，與不使用社交媒體的青少年相比，頻繁使用社交媒體的青少年更容易有抑郁、焦慮、孤獨、攻擊和反社會行為等問題。

Late last year a study published by NHS digital revealed that 11-19 year olds who suffer from mental health issues are more likely to use social media every day.

去年年底，由英國國家醫療服務電子系統發布的一項研究表明，患有心理健康問題的11歲至19歲的年輕人每天使用社交媒體的可能性更大。

But further research surrounding the topic of social media use and mental health in teenagers in the summer suggested it is the side effects of social media use, such as lack of sleep, that could present more of a problem.

不過，今年夏天，圍繞青少年社交媒體使用和心理健康的研究表明，社交媒體使用的副作用，如睡眠不足，可能會帶來更多問題。

The findings come from the first major study to analyse how heavy social media use could potentially damage mental health.

這一發現來自于第一項分析大量使用社交媒體如何對心理健康造成潛在危害的大型研究。

The study, published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal, indicates that while frequent use of social media does appear to be linked to having a negative impact on mental health, the effects are not direct.

這項發表在《柳葉刀兒童與青少年健康》雜志上的研究表明，盡管頻繁使用社交媒體似乎與對心理健康產生負面影響有關，但這種影響并不是直接產生的。

Instead researchers suggest it could be down to social media users forgoing other activities, such as sleep and exercise, or that it opens the door to cyberbullying.

研究人員認為，這些負面影響可能源自社交媒體用戶放棄其他活動（比如睡眠和運動），或者是由于社交媒體為網絡欺凌打開了大門。

英文來源：MSN

翻譯&編輯：丹妮