Questioning children about their online life and exposure to Facebook and other social networking sites should be included when physicians take medical histories during patient visits, according to new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, NPR’s “Shots” reports (Hensley, “Shots,” NPR, 3/28).
AAP’s social media recommendations were published in the journal Pediatrics.
Reasons for Recommendations
The report states that adolescents can use social media to find health information and connect with other individuals who have similar medical conditions. However, such online tools might carry risk, according to the report (Gordon,HealthDay, 3/28).
Gwenn O’Keeffe, a pediatrician and co-author of the report said, “We are acknowledging that this a health issue — it isn’t just a technology issue” (Hellmich, USA Today, 3/28). O’Keeffe called the pediatric training model “old-fashioned” (Rochman, “Healthland,” Time, 3/28).
To learn more about pediatric patients’ online habits, the AAP report asks that doctors and parents look out for:
A phenomenon called “Facebook depression,” where children who do not find connections online become depressed, or feel isolated or anxious;
Cyberbulling, which occurs through the online spread of false, embarrassing or hostile information and can cause depression, anxiety or suicide;
Exposure to inappropriate content that could influence children to engage in behaviors such as smoking or substance misuse; and
Sexting — the sending, receiving or forwarding of sexually explicit messages via digital devices (USA Today, 3/28).
