One Graph Two Stories: how statistics can be misused to tell stories, and what the numbers actually tell us about young peoples mental health

Statistics can be used, and abused to tell all sorts of stories. This episode I dig into some of the ways that statistics can be misrepresented and how the same graph can be used to tell different stories, depending on how someone looks at it. This is especially the case when it comes to young people, mental health and social media use.

Source list available at https://www.ourstoriesandourselves.com/

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Cover image created from https://pixabay.com/users/creapark-6555204 and https://mikemales.substack.com/p/todays-teenage-mental-health-crisis

The article and graph which prompted me to write this episode:

Males, M. (2025, November 25). Today’s “teenage mental health crisis” and social media panic are founded in nostalgic myths [Substack newsletter]. Mike’s Substack. https://mikemales.substack.com/p/todays-teenage-mental-health-crisis

Full source list:

CDC. (2025, July 12). Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic. Overdose Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/about/understanding-the-opioid-overdose-epidemic.html

Commins, P. (2025, October 20). Head of ABS defends debunking far-right ‘mass migration’ claims after censorship accusations. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/20/abs-censorship-accusations-defends-debunking-far-right-mass-migration-claims

Males, M. (2024, November 12). Researchers agree on a solid consensus in the great “meta-analysis” quarrel over whether social media affects teenagers’ mental health [Substack newsletter]. Mike’s Substack. https://mikemales.substack.com/p/researchers-agree-on-a-solid-consensus

Males, M. (2026, January 5). Authorities are recasting young people’s concerns about climate change, Gaza, social justice, family crises, etc., as ‘mental illness’ [Substack newsletter]. Mike’s Substack. https://mikemales.substack.com/p/authorities-are-recasting-young-peoples?utm_medium=email

Males, M. (2026, January 20). Teenage girls who use social media daily are less likely to harm themselves and attempt suicide – one of many unmentionable realities major health surveys show [Substack newsletter]. Mike’s Substack. https://mikemales.substack.com/p/teenage-girls-who-use-social-media?r=17x2ng&utm_medium=email

Males, M. (2026, January 29). Generation Z’s real social media sin has nothing to do with “mental health” [Substack newsletter]. Mike’s Substack. https://mikemales.substack.com/p/generation-zs-real-social-media-sin?r=17x2ng&utm_medium=email

Zhu, X., Yang, Y., Wright, H., Speyer, L. G., Allitt, M., Obsuth, I., Errington, P., & Murray, A. L. (2026). The association between social media use and mental health symptoms in middle adolescence: A counterfactual analysis. SSM - Mental Health, 9, 100582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100582

More information on the Freedom Writers

https://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org

LaGravenese, R. (Director). (2007, March 2). Freedom Writers [Video recording]. Paramount Pictures, Double Feature Films, MTV Films.

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