Is this 25-year-old technology the solution to our social media addiction?

By signing up for one of the many excellent (and free) RSS readers available, you take back control of your media diet. — Photo by dole777 on Unsplash

As someone who scans a ton of headlines every morning as part of her job, I'm well placed to notice when a particular topic takes off. And I spotted a new one lately. A CDC survey showing skyrocketing levels of mental distress among teens kicked off a lively online conversation about what's behind the depressing numbers.

Some commentators blamed our viciously negative politics. Others argued that thanks to climate change, war, and late-stage capitalism, the world is genuinely pretty depressing. Another notes adults aren't doing too well either, and hazards that some kind of social contagion is in play.