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Social Media Use in Adolescents

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Social Media Use in Adolescents, Social Media

  • See Also
  1. Electronic Media Use in Children
  2. Adolescent Health
  3. Pediatric Heath Maintenance
  • Epidemiology
  1. Smartphone use in U.S. approaches 95% among ages 13 to 17 years old (with 50% reporting frequent use)
  2. Nearly 15% of high school students reported electronic Bullying in 2017
  • Advantages
  1. May augment social support in some teens
  2. May diversify information exposure
  • Adverse Effects
  1. Social Media use has been associated with a significant increase in Suicidality
    1. Luxton (2012) Am J Public Health 102 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S195-200 +PMID: 22401525 [PubMed]
    2. Memon (2018) Indian J Psychiatry 60(4):384-92 +PMID: 30581202 [PubMed]
  2. Exposure to misinformation campaigns
    1. Social Media frequently amplifies hoaxes, misinformation campaigns, extremist views
    2. Associated with increased political extremism and discord
  3. Negative impact on functional brain development (related to habitual checking behavior)
    1. Maza (2023) JAMA Pediatr 177(2):160-7 +PMID: 36595277 [PubMed]
  4. May impact sleep
  5. May impact attention and learning
  6. Driving safety risk
    1. Texting or emailing while driving was reported in nearly 40% of high school students in 2017
  7. Unsafe contact risk
  8. Cyber-Bullying
  9. Personal privacy compromise risk
  • HIstory
  • Social Media Questions
  1. See HEADSS Psychosocial Interview
  • Prevention
  1. Balance Screen Time with other activities
    1. See Electronic Media Use in Children
    2. Limit overall Screen Time
    3. Maintain at least 1 hour of Physical Activity daily
    4. Maintain at least 8 hours of sleep per night
      1. Avoid electronic devices in the bedroom
      2. Avoid screen exposure within one hour of bed
  2. Privacy
    1. Optimize provacy settings within Social Media applications
    2. Discuss unsafe contacts and protecting personal information
  3. Inaccurate content
    1. Discuss digital literacy and critical thinking
    2. Be aware of inaccurate content
  4. Safety
    1. Discuss the risks of sharing compromising information or images in texts or Social Media
    2. Discuss Cyberbullying and treating others with respect online
    3. Be wary of online solicitation or "sexting"
  • Resources
  1. The Social Dilemma (documentary)
    1. https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/
  2. The Political Effects of Social Media Platforms on Different Regime Types (Texas National Security Review)
    1. https://tnsr.org/2021/07/the-political-effects-of-social-media-platforms-on-different-regime-types/
  • References
  1. Klein (2020) Am Fam Physician 101(3): 147-58 [PubMed]