Parents Worry About Excessive Use of Social Media and Electronics

As kids head back to school, two primary concerns are emerging for their parents: the influence of social media and the internet on their children’s lives.

University of Michigan Health C.S. According to Mott Children’s Hospital’s National Poll on Children’s Health, more than half of parents consider mental health problems to be the most important health concern for their children and teenagers.

Overall, mental health and technology use topped this year’s list of the top 10 parent health concerns for children in the U.S., overtaking childhood obesity as the top child health issue parents ranked a decade ago.

“Parents continue to see issues that directly affect physical health, including unhealthy eating and obesity, as important health issues for children. But these have been overtaken by concerns about mental health, social media and screen time,” said Mott Poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Susan Woolford, M.D., M.P.H.

Two-thirds of parents are concerned about children’s increased time on devices, including general screen time and social media use, the No. 1 and No. 2 health concerns for children this year, according to a nationally representative survey. .

“Children are using digital devices and social media at a younger age, and parents may struggle with how to appropriately monitor use to prevent negative effects on safety, self-esteem, social connections and habits that can interfere with sleep and other areas of health.” Woolford said.

According to previous reports, screen time became a growing concern for parents during the pandemic. Woolford encourages parents to regularly assess their children’s technology use and consider limiting their use if they notice signs of unhealthy interactions or behaviors. Certain social media and device settings can also help protect children.

Mental health and emotional health concerns are on the mind

The survey results, based on 2,099 responses collected in February, also show parents’ constant concern about their children’s mental health. Most parents consider depression, suicide, stress, anxiety and related issues such as bullying to be major problems.

And nearly half of parents expressed concern about the lack of mental health services. “The disparity between the growing number of young people with mental health problems and limited access to mental health services has serious consequences for children’s well-being,” Woolford said.

Parents also share a high level of concern about school violence, which may reflect direct experiences of school shootings or fights and media coverage of such events, Woolford said.

He added that changes in the school environment, such as metal detectors, armed guards and locked doors, as well as active shooter drills, can remind children and parents of potential school violence. Parents may struggle to manage their own stress and anxiety while trying to calm their children. “Parents may want to talk to their child regularly about how safe they feel at school and what they’ve heard about violent incidents,” Woolford said. . “They should tailor the information to their child’s age and avoid sharing graphic details while still being able to reassure their school about safety measures.” Parents from low-income households were more likely to have many child health problems, including depression and suicide, bullying, school violence, dangerous neighborhoods, drinking and drugs, smoking and vaping, teen pregnancy and sexual activity, child abuse and neglect, parental stress, discrimination, COVID and pollution caused health risks.

Meanwhile, parents living in middle- and high-income homes are more likely to view excessive use of devices and social media as significant problems. Differences in how parents view children’s health problems may reflect their daily experiences with environmental challenges such as insecurity. neighborhoods as well as the discrimination that children from low-income homes may experience more often,” Woolford said.

Concerns about a greater number of children’s health problems may be reflected in this group’s higher reports of parental stress as a major problem, Woolford added. But parents across income groups rated other topics similarly, including unhealthy diets, obesity, health care costs and lack of mental health services.

Slightly outside the top ten health problems for children are obesity (48 percent), gun/gun injuries (47 percent), lack of mental health services (47 percent), poverty (45 percent), drinking/drug use (44 percent), child abuse/neglect (42 percent), followed by unequal access to health care (35 percent), parental stress (35 percent), inaccurate/misleading health information (31 percent), teenage pregnancy/sexual activity (31 percent), discrimination (31 percent), dangerous neighborhoods (30 percent), gay/gender issues (LGBTQ) (29 percent), and health risks from polluted water and air (23 percent). At the bottom of the list: vaccine safety (16 percent), overbearing parents/parents doing too much (13 percent), and COVID (12 percent).

“Today’s school-aged children have experienced dramatic changes in classrooms, technology norms and increased mental health challenges,” Woolford said. Parents should work with schools, mentors, and their children’s health care providers to address both ongoing and emerging health issues. They should also have regular re-conversations with their children and teenagers, encouraging them to share any concerns they may have, both physically and emotionally.