While social media can be a useful tool for connecting people and maintaining friendships, it can take advantage of children and teens’ youth, inexperience and developmental thinking abilities to potentially put them in dangerous situations. Learn about social media as a health issue by exploring through a developmental lens, considering cognitive development of abstract thinking and its relation to readiness for social media use. The latest technology and digital trends will be reviewed, including privacy settings for safety, cyberbullying, mental and physical health impacts, sexting, pornography access, and recruiting into trafficking. Apps considered to be potentially dangerous will be discussed, along with basic safety measures enabling pediatric providers, parents, guardians and mentors to be equipped to discuss these with patients and their families.

Jessica Peck, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE, CNL, FAANP; Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi; Corpus Christi TX and Professor, Louise Herrington School of Nursing, Baylor University; Friendswood TX