II. Epidemiology
- Smartphone use in U.S. approaches 95% among ages 13 to 17 years old (with 50% reporting frequent use)
- Nearly 15% of high school students reported electronic Bullying in 2017
III. Advantages
- May augment social support in some teens
- May diversify information exposure
IV. Adverse Effects
- Social Media use has been associated with a significant increase in Suicidality
- Exposure to misinformation campaigns
- Social Media frequently amplifies hoaxes, misinformation campaigns, extremist views
- Associated with increased political extremism and discord
- Negative impact on functional brain development (related to habitual checking behavior)
- May impact sleep
- May impact attention and learning
- Driving safety risk
- Texting or emailing while driving was reported in nearly 40% of high school students in 2017
- Unsafe contact risk
- Cyber-Bullying
- Personal privacy compromise risk
V. HIstory: Social Media Questions
VI. Prevention
- Balance Screen Time with other activities
- See Electronic Media Use in Children
- Limit overall Screen Time
- Maintain at least 1 hour of Physical Activity daily
- Maintain at least 8 hours of sleep per night
- Avoid electronic devices in the bedroom
- Avoid screen exposure within one hour of bed
- Privacy
- Optimize provacy settings within Social Media applications
- Discuss unsafe contacts and protecting personal information
- Inaccurate content
- Discuss digital literacy and critical thinking
- Be aware of inaccurate content
- Safety
- Discuss the risks of sharing compromising information or images in texts or Social Media
- Discuss Cyberbullying and treating others with respect online
- Be wary of online solicitation or "sexting"
VII. Resources
- The Social Dilemma (documentary)
- The Political Effects of Social Media Platforms on Different Regime Types (Texas National Security Review)