Page 15 - Petelin, Ana, et al. 2019. Eds. Zdravje otrok in mladostnikov / Health of Children and Adolescents. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 15
Even though SM usage among children can have negative consequences, the impact of social media on the children mental health 13
it also matters to which purpose social media is used, e.g. for communication
on non-communication purposes (Selfhout et al., 2009; Radovic et al., 2017).
Social networking sites allow individuals to communicate with others regard-
ing specific topics of interest. These interactions have also taken a therapeutic
form for adolescents and young adults seeking practical and emotional support
on the Internet (Messina and Iwasaki, 2011). Professional health organisations
should emphasize the development of a safety use of social media and ensure ef-
fective mental health support to those who need it (Clifton et al., 2013). We al-
so realised, that there is not enough high-quality research available, particular-
ly regarding the impact of social media on younger children, and subsequently
there is a lack of guidance for parents and teachers of the appropriate use of so-
cial media with children (Richards et al., 2015; Hoge et al., 2018).
Conclusions
Social media use is very prominent among children, young people and adoles-
cents and can have positive and negative effects of their mental health. Most
commonly related mental health issues are anxiety, depression, and self-harm
behaviour. Whether a child is at risk for these issues depends on different fac-
tors, such as time spent on social media, child perception on what social me-
dia is for and pre-existing mental health issues. As children are more and more
present on various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snap-
chat, and others, more research is needed about the long term effects on their
mental health. There is still insufficient evidence about the impact of social me-
dia usage on children mental health and related issues and further high-qual-
ity research is needed.
References
AKSHA, M.M., SHIVA, G.S., SATYAJIT, S.M., SHAILESH, J., 2018. The role of
online social networking on deliberate self‑harm and suicidality in ado-
lescents: A systematized review of literature. Indian journal of psychiatry,
vol. 60, no. 4. pp. 384–392.
BOZZOLA, E., SPINA, G., RUGGIERO, M., MERNO, L., AGOSTINIANI, R.,
BOZZOLA, M., CORSELLO, G., VILLANI, A., 2018. Media devices in
pre-school children: the recommendations of the Italian pediatric socie-
ty. Italian journal of pediatrics, vol. 44, no. 1. pp. 1–5.
CLIFTON, A., GOODALL, D., BAN, S., BIRKS, E., 2013. New perspectives on
the contribution of digital technology and social media use to improve
the mental wellbeing of children and young people: a state-of-the-art re-
view. Neonatal, paediatric and child health nursing, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 19–
26.
DAINE, K., HAWTON, K., SINGARAVELU, V., STEWART, A., SIMKIN, S.,
MONTGOMERY, P., 2013. The power of the web: A systematic review of
it also matters to which purpose social media is used, e.g. for communication
on non-communication purposes (Selfhout et al., 2009; Radovic et al., 2017).
Social networking sites allow individuals to communicate with others regard-
ing specific topics of interest. These interactions have also taken a therapeutic
form for adolescents and young adults seeking practical and emotional support
on the Internet (Messina and Iwasaki, 2011). Professional health organisations
should emphasize the development of a safety use of social media and ensure ef-
fective mental health support to those who need it (Clifton et al., 2013). We al-
so realised, that there is not enough high-quality research available, particular-
ly regarding the impact of social media on younger children, and subsequently
there is a lack of guidance for parents and teachers of the appropriate use of so-
cial media with children (Richards et al., 2015; Hoge et al., 2018).
Conclusions
Social media use is very prominent among children, young people and adoles-
cents and can have positive and negative effects of their mental health. Most
commonly related mental health issues are anxiety, depression, and self-harm
behaviour. Whether a child is at risk for these issues depends on different fac-
tors, such as time spent on social media, child perception on what social me-
dia is for and pre-existing mental health issues. As children are more and more
present on various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snap-
chat, and others, more research is needed about the long term effects on their
mental health. There is still insufficient evidence about the impact of social me-
dia usage on children mental health and related issues and further high-qual-
ity research is needed.
References
AKSHA, M.M., SHIVA, G.S., SATYAJIT, S.M., SHAILESH, J., 2018. The role of
online social networking on deliberate self‑harm and suicidality in ado-
lescents: A systematized review of literature. Indian journal of psychiatry,
vol. 60, no. 4. pp. 384–392.
BOZZOLA, E., SPINA, G., RUGGIERO, M., MERNO, L., AGOSTINIANI, R.,
BOZZOLA, M., CORSELLO, G., VILLANI, A., 2018. Media devices in
pre-school children: the recommendations of the Italian pediatric socie-
ty. Italian journal of pediatrics, vol. 44, no. 1. pp. 1–5.
CLIFTON, A., GOODALL, D., BAN, S., BIRKS, E., 2013. New perspectives on
the contribution of digital technology and social media use to improve
the mental wellbeing of children and young people: a state-of-the-art re-
view. Neonatal, paediatric and child health nursing, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 19–
26.
DAINE, K., HAWTON, K., SINGARAVELU, V., STEWART, A., SIMKIN, S.,
MONTGOMERY, P., 2013. The power of the web: A systematic review of
