Social media and kids: Advice from a Providence Swedish pediatrician
[5 MIN READ]
In this article:
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A pediatrician and social media speaker talks about how parents can protect their children’s mental health regarding social media.
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Learn about three signs that could indicate social media is affecting your child negatively.
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Find recommendations for websites that teach youth about the proper ways to behave online.
Social media and kids: Advice from a Providence Swedish pediatrician
For most parents, the question is not “whether” your child or teen will use social media, but “when” they will create an account on one or more social media platform, such as Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 90% of teens are active on social media — and many of them joined the platforms when they were about 11 years old.
Recently, the Providence Talk With a Doc podcast featured Elizabeth Meade, M.D., a pediatrician who treats children and teens at Providence Swedish Pediatric Hospital Medicine in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Meade is a speaker for the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. On the podcast, she talked about both the advantages and dangers of social media, and how it can affect your child’s mental health.
Advantages of social media
While Dr. Meade says she doesn’t believe educational settings specifically need social media, it can be beneficial if used correctly.
“Lots of young people will tell us that they're using digital media or social media, not just for learning on their own, but also really for collaboration on group projects or schoolwork,” she says.
Dr. Meade notes that through this collaboration, young people are able to keep in touch with their friends and find communities and people who help them feel accepted, valued and seen.
“I think it’s also really important that we focus on teaching our kids how to use media and social media,” Dr. Meade says. “So instead of telling them what not to do, we show them how to identify good versus inappropriate content. We show them how to stay safe and avoid privacy and data issues.”
Three signs social media could be affecting your child negatively
While social media can have positive effects on children and teens, it can also cause problems. Dr. Meade shared the top three warning signs that your child could be experiencing negative effects from social media use:
1. Your child’s emotions are unstable after viewing social media.
If you notice your child often feels depressed after going online, or has a low self-esteem, it may be time to investigate how they are using their social media time. They may be experiencing cyberbullying.
“These are all signs that we should be moving to some sort of different content,” says Dr. Meade. “They need to find another way to spend their time that doesn’t have such a negative impact.”
2. Media is crowding out other activities in your child’s life.
Do you find that your child is in front of a screen so much it’s difficult to get them to do anything else? If so, it’s time for a change.
A balanced life, Dr. Meade says, is one that includes schoolwork, physical activity, time with friends and time with family. The amount of time they spend on social media should not be crowding out those other aspects of life.
3. Social media is disrupting their sleep.
Many children and teens (and adults, too) sleep with their phones right next to their bed. That can lead to major problems with sleep, says Dr. Meade.
“Adolescents get an average of 240 notifications in a day,” she says. “That’s one every few minutes during waking hours, right? We talk a lot with our families about how to mitigate some of these things. Can their phone be across the room? Can they put it on ‘do not disturb’? I encourage people to go through their apps and turn off notifications for everything that isn’t critical.”
Dr. Meade also encourages parents to help their children set limits on their own — for example, limiting their social media and screen time in a single evening to one hour.
Advice for parents regarding social media
Dr. Meade suggests that parents start a conversation with their children about the kind of social media they want to use, and how they want to use it. They should also establish scrolling rules that are consistent with the child’s age. For example, they may want to fully monitor a 12-year-old’s usage, but that might not be appropriate for a 17-year-old.
“I think as kids get older, we absolutely should allow them more autonomy,” she says. “But for younger kids, it’s important to sit down and say, ‘OK, this is something that you're being granted access to. Just know that I’m going to be checking in from time to time to make sure everything is OK.’”
As parents seek resources to educate themselves and their children about the impact of social media, Dr. Meade suggests Common Sense Media. In addition to reviews of movies, TV shows and video games, this site also offers a curriculum that teaches youth how to behave well online.
Dr. Meade also recommends the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. “It’s a team of researchers, pediatricians and developmental experts who offer information about different media platforms,” she says. “They have some really fun activities for all different age groups that approach this in a way that’s fun and light. They also have a question and answer portal.”
Ultimately, she says, it’s important to keep the lines of communication open with your child. “We know social media is here to stay,” she says. “So how can we best use this right?”
Contributing caregiver
Elizabeth Meade, M.D., is a pediatrician and medical director of quality for pediatrics at Providence Swedish. She treats children and teens at Providence Swedish Pediatric Hospital Medicine in Seattle, Washington.
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Related resources
Top tips to prevent bullying in schools
The importance of sleep and its connection to mental health
This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional’s instructions.
