The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health and Development

It comes as no surprise that recent trends indicate children and adolescents are spending ever increasing amounts of time on social media, particularly during the pandemic when alternative opportunities for peer socialization are limited. What impact is this having on our youth? Is it all negative or are there positives?

This session explores how youth engagement in social media influences their mental health and physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Current research on social media use and its connections to depression, suicide, cyberbullying, and at-risk behavior will be provided. Additionally, participants will learn about the signs and treatment of social media addiction, and caregiver guidelines for monitoring and managing child and adolescent screen time.

Learning Objectives

· Describe the trends in youth social media use and screen time.

· Explain why the pandemic has increased social media use and screen time.

· Describe the impact of youth social media use and screen time on the four domains of child development.

· Identify the correlations between social media use on rates of youth depression, suicide, cyberbullying, and the development of at-risk behavior.

· List the signs of social media addiction and types of treatment.

· Explain how technology can increase youth awareness and treatment of mental health disorders through websites, online support groups and communities, and telehealth.

· Develop a list of screen time monitoring resources to share with caregivers.