Social Media and Your Family

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report on social media and it's effects on children and teenagers.  Since that time, there has been much talk in the media about "facebook depression."  I would like to talk about the entire report, about social media and your children and teenagers, and how to digest this topic.  It's a biggie.

The article is titled Clinical Report-The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents and Families by GS O'Keefe and KC Pearson, Ped 2011; 127:  800-804.  I will have to plagiarize from it liberally to give it justice.  I will try to use quotation marks when I do so. 

In the abstract (first paragraph), it states that "any web site that allows social interaction is considered a social media site, including social networking sites such as facebook, My Space, and Twitter; gaming sites and virtual worlds such as Club Penguins, Second Life and the Sims; video sites such as You Tube; and blogs."  If it makes you feel any better, I had not heard of some of these sites until I read the article.  Also, I immediately flashed back to when my son and his friends taught me how to use You Tube...the second and third time.  I felt out of my league just reading that first paragraph. 

The second paragraph went a little bit better.  The authors reminded me that our children's online lives are an extension of their offline lives. 

The article does a nice job of clarifying some of the dangers of social media:  "bullying, clique-forming and sexual experimentation," which are also seen offline.  It also mentions those dangers specific to the online world:  "cyberbullying, privacy issues, sexting, internet addiction and sleep deprivation."  It also points out the positives of social media for children and adolescents.  It gives a lot of attention to privacy issues, including use of your child's information by ad agencies!  There isn't a lot of time spent on facebook depression, considering the media attention it has received.  Suffice to say, for children and teens who are prone to depression, spending many hours on facebook may make this worse.

They had some interesting statistics to share.  Like, 22% of all kids go to their favorite site 10 times a day, and >50% go to a social media site at least once a day. 

They had some nice caveats:
a)  "Their online lives are an extension of their offline lives."
b)  Know where they go.  The site discusses the importance of checking your child's internet history, and if you don't know how to do this, learn.
c)  "Don't falsify age to get around restrictions."  This refers to age restrictions for signing up your child or teen.  Those restrictions are there for a reason.  If you falsify this information, you are sending a mixed message about lying.  It is very hard to backpedal once you do this.
d)  "What is happening online is an extension of underlying issues."  This is pretty much a restatement of (a), but geared toward when you find a problem.  If you find problem behavior, please bring it to the attention of your pediatrician, so that it can be addressed.

I was a little disappointed that the article didn't say anything about limiting screen time.  Perhaps, they felt that the AAP has covered this elsewhere.  The AAP Guidelines recommend no more than 2 hours of nonacademic screen time for anyone under 18 years of age.  This includes television, all of those social media sites listed above, AND texting.  (This news about texting makes my neices very unhappy). 

When I was a kid (yes, I'm going to go there) I had a bicycle and a curfew.  Now, we have to worry about Nature Deficit Disorder.  If you don't know what that is, Google it.  Kids don't have curfews anymore.  They don't need them, because they are all on social media.  We need to break that cycle and get them back outside.  If your neighborhood is unsafe, then get them to the Boys and Girls Club or the YMCA.  Find a church with an active Youth organization.  If you can't find what you want, work with other parents and create something.  Your kids are worth it!

Overall, it is a very good article.  I would recommend you ask your physician about it.

It concluded with 2 statements of advice:
1.  "Talk to them (your children and teens) about their online use."
2.  "Become better educated about their online use."

To that, I would add:
3.  Limit their nonacademic screen time to 2 hours a day.
4.  Help them become more active.


DrNanN
House Call Pediatrician, Overland Park, KS

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