When you feel a weird headache, stomach pain, or sudden dizziness, what’s the first thing you do? For most teens today, the answer is obvious: Google it. We type in a couple of words—“headache after gym class” or “tired all the time”—and within seconds, we’re scrolling through medical sites, forums, and sometimes even terrifying worst-case scenarios.
The internet makes it easy to feel like we have answers at our fingertips, but those answers don’t always help. In fact, they often leave us more confused or anxious than before. For teens living with epilepsy or other health challenges, that anxiety can be overwhelming. And that’s where something much more powerful comes in: peer support.
Why Google Isn’t the Answer
Google is fast, but it’s not personal. When you search symptoms online, you’re met with results designed to cover every possible cause, from the common cold to rare diseases. That can make harmless issues look catastrophic.
Psychologists even have a name for this cycle: cyberchondria. A study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders explains that “frequent online symptom checking is strongly linked to health anxiety and obsessive worry” (Muse et al., 2019). Instead of calming us, scrolling often makes us spiral.
Teens are especially vulnerable to this spiral. According to Pew Research Center, 95% of U.S. teens have access to a smartphone, and nearly half say they’re online “almost constantly” (Pew, 2022). That means health worries can turn into late-night rabbit holes, leading not to clarity but to stress. As one Healthline article puts it, “Online health searches often escalate harmless conditions into frightening possibilities” (Healthline, 2021).
When teens feel anxious or notice something off with their mental health, their first instinct is often to open a new tab. Google can provide information in seconds, but what it delivers isn’t always helpful—or even safe. According to a 2022 Frontiers in Public Health study, young people frequently misinterpret online health information, leading to “increased health anxiety and inaccurate self-diagnosis” (Starcevic & Aboujaoude, 2022). In other words, the more we search, the more we spiral.
Take “Why am I tired all the time?” as an example. Google might lead you to everything from iron deficiency to cancer, with no way to filter what actually applies. As Dr. David Miller, a pediatric psychiatrist, explains, “Online searches for mental or physical symptoms can create a feedback loop of worry, without offering personalized guidance or reassurance” (Child Mind Institute, 2021). The problem isn’t just misinformation, it’s that the internet can’t know the context of your life.
That’s where peers come in. A friend might say, “Hey, I feel that too when I’m stressed with school,” or “I went through the same thing during finals week.” That sense of relatability is something Google will never give you.
Why Peer Support Works Better
Peer support is different. It’s not about pages of information. It’s about people. When teens talk to other teens who “get it,” they gain something a Google search never offers: empathy.
Research backs this up. A review in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health found that peer-led support groups help teens build emotional resilience, coping skills, and a sense of belonging (King et al., 2020). The CDC also reports that students who feel connected to peers are nearly 50% less likely to report persistent sadness or hopelessness (CDC, 2021).
Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a Yale social scientist, put it clearly: “Human connection is not just a luxury—it is a necessity for survival” (Christakis, 2019). For teens facing health worries, that survival is often emotional. Knowing they’re not alone means more than any information a Google Search can give.
Unlike the endless scroll of search results, peer support offers a human response. According to Mental Health America, “peer support provides validation, hope, and connection from people with shared experiences” (MHA, 2023). In practice, that means talking to someone your own age who actually gets it.
When teens talk to each other about mental health, it doesn’t just feel good, but instead it makes a measurable difference. A 2020 study in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that peer-led support programs reduced symptoms of depression and increased help-seeking behaviors among high school students (Rickwood et al., 2020).
I’ve seen this firsthand in my own school’s mental health club, Active Minds. Sometimes, just hearing “me too” is more comforting than any WebMD article could ever be. And unlike Google, peers can respond with empathy, humor, and perspective. As one student quoted in The Trevor Project’s 2022 Survey put it, “Talking to friends who’ve been through the same thing made me feel like I wasn’t broken.” That single sentence captures the power of peer connection.
The Emotional Side of Epilepsy and Health Anxiety
For teens with epilepsy, searching online can be especially scary. You might just want to know if your fatigue is from staying up late, but Google might throw up alarming results about seizures or medication side effects. That adds another layer of stress to an already complicated reality.
Studies show that young people with epilepsy are at higher risk for anxiety and depression compared to their peers (Jones et al., 2014). Much of this comes from feeling different, misunderstood, or isolated. Peer support directly counters that isolation. Talking to someone who has walked in your shoes offers reassurance in a way a search engine never can.
As one teen in a study on epilepsy support groups shared, “Talking to another teenager who just gets it makes me feel like I’m not broken. Google never gave me that” (Seizure, 2018). That simple act of being understood can make the difference between feeling trapped and feeling hopeful.
Building Confidence Through Connection
Peer support isn’t only about venting, it also builds confidence. The Mental Health Foundation explains that “Support from peers provides a level of acceptance that professional care sometimes struggles to reach, particularly for young people” (MHF, 2020). When a peer says, “I’ve felt that too,” it validates feelings and removes shame.
That validation can ripple into other parts of life. Teens who feel supported are more likely to stick with treatments, do better in school, and participate in social activities (World Health Organization, 2019). In other words, peer support isn’t just comforting, it’s empowering.
There’s also a simple truth: teens trust other teens more than adults when it comes to personal struggles. The CDC notes that “peer relationships are among the strongest influences on adolescent behavior and decision-making” (CDC, 2021). That doesn’t mean we ignore adults or professionals, it means that when we’re trying to make sense of confusing feelings, hearing from someone close to our own stage of life hits differently.
Research backs this up. A 2018 report from the National Academies highlighted that peer-to-peer models often outperform traditional health education because “messages are delivered in a language and style that feels authentic to adolescents.” In other words, we don’t always need a clinical definition. We need real words from people who know what it’s like to be sixteen and overwhelmed.
Even mental health professionals acknowledge this. Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, emphasizes that “peer support is an essential part of prevention, because young people often disclose to friends before anyone else” (AFSP, 2020). By the time we Google our symptoms, many of us have already texted a friend. That step—the human connection—is what makes all the difference.
If peer support is this powerful, the question becomes: how do we create more spaces for it? Schools, communities, and online platforms can all play a role. Programs like Active Minds chapters in high schools, or crisis text lines staffed by trained teen volunteers, are already showing what’s possible. According to Active Minds, “76% of young adults say their peers are the most likely group they would turn to when feeling stressed or down” (Active Minds, 2022). That’s a statistic we can’t ignore.
Creating peer-support spaces doesn’t mean replacing professional help, it means building a bridge toward it. When a friend validates your feelings, you’re more likely to take the next step, whether that’s reaching out to a counselor, parent, or doctor. Peer support isn’t the end of the road, but it’s the first light along the path.
As teens, we have the power to shape that culture. Talking openly about mental health, checking in on each other, and reminding our friends that it’s okay to not be okay are all forms of quiet resistance against the stigma that keeps so many of us silent. In a world where Google gives us information, peers give us connection and connection is what truly saves lives.
Why This Matters
Google isn’t going away, and yes, sometimes it’s useful. But when it comes to health concerns, especially for teens with epilepsy or mental health challenges, it’s often more harmful than helpful. What truly helps is connection, real conversations with people who understand.
That’s why peer support matters. It lowers anxiety. It reduces stigma. It builds resilience. Most importantly, it reminds teens they’re not defined by their condition, they’re part of a community.
So the next time you’re tempted to type your symptoms into a search bar, think about reaching out to a peer instead. Because information can inform, but connection can heal.