The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families

Abstract

Using social media Web sites is among the most common activity of today's children and adolescents. Any Web site that allows social interaction is considered a social media site, including social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter; gaming sites and virtual worlds such as Club Penguin, Second Life, and the Sims; video sites such as YouTube; and blogs. Such sites offer today's youth a portal for entertainment and communication and have grown exponentially in recent years. For this reason, it is important that parents become aware of the nature of social media sites, given that not all of them are healthy environments for children and adolescents. Pediatricians are in a unique position to help families understand these sites and to encourage healthy use and urge parents to monitor for potential problems with cyberbullying, “Facebook depression,” sexting, and exposure to inappropriate content.

Cyber Dating Abuse Among Teens Using School-Based Health Centers

“…Although technology expands opportunities for learning, and positive interaction among youth, 34 the intersection between technology and unhealthy behaviors in dating relationships assessed in this study clearly represents a challenge for adolescent health promotion. The prevalence of recent cyber dating abuse in this clinic-based sample is high.…”

Approaches to the Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity: The Role of Social Networks and the Use of Social Media and Related Electronic Technologies

“…Other problems that merit awareness include Internet addiction and resultant sleep deprivation. 71 Clinicians need to increase their knowledge of digital technology so that they can have a more educated frame of reference for the tools that their patients and families are using, which will aid in providing timely anticipatory media guidance and diagnosing social media-related harms should they arise. In addition, clinicians should counsel parents about the need for awareness about the technology that their children are using.…”

Use of social networking websites as a care instrument for hospitalized adolescents

“…Homework can be done online in a group, facilitating the exchange of information. 19,20 Another benefit of online social networking is the contribution to the development of a sense of identity. Sharing information about themselves provides users the opportunity to shape their individual identity according to the selection of information about their lives.…”