The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families

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 Cl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 2011-04, Vol.127 (4), p.800-804
Main Authors: O'Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin, Clarke-Pearson, Kathleen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Age Factors
Bullying - psychology
Child
Children & youth
Communication
Depression - prevention & control
Depression - psychology
Education - methods
Families & family life
Health aspects
Health Education
Humans
Influence
Internet
Leisure Activities
Online social networks
Parents & parenting
Pediatrics
Peer Group
Physician's Role
Privacy
Risk Factors
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Social Isolation
Social networks
Social Support
Socialization
Teenagers
United States
User-Computer Interface
Video Games
Web sites
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275
DOI:10.1542/peds.2011-0054