383 - Social media usage by children 8 – 12 years age: Comparison of parental perception with actual reported usage

Poster Number: 383
Publication Number: 383.125

Background: Social media use has well-known adverse effects on youth. There is a correlation between social media use and mental health problems- higher incidence of depression and anxiety. It also has an impact on physical health- sedentary habits, poor sleep. These studies have largely been on adolescents. Younger kids are now commonly exposed to social media. AAP recommends parents limit the time digital devices are used, co-view the media kids view, and talk to their kids about online safety

Objective: Compare social media use reported by 8-12-year-olds with their parent’s perception of their use at a primary care practice in an inner-city hospital

Design/Methods: Questionnaires were administered to children 8-12 yr and their parents during their primary care visit. Demographic information for the study group was collected. Categorical data were analyzed using Chi-square test, numerical data using the t-test for comparison of means. For categorical data with statistically significant differences, we compared the differences by age. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association of age and sex of the child and parent education level with the children's responses to the survey questionnaire

Results: 150 parent-child dyad questionnaires were completed. 52.6% of children were male. 81.5% of respondents were Black /African American. 57.3% of parents reported “high school” as their highest education level. 60% of children reported having multiple devices. Social media use increased with age. Children were likelier to report unsupervised use, having a social media account, and playing online video games. 9-year-olds were most likely to differ from their parents' responses. Parental higher education positively correlated with children having social media accounts and parents knowing their ID and password. Parental higher education negatively correlated with children being online after bedtime

Conclusion(s): Our findings demonstrate a significant difference in parents' perception of social media usage and usage reported by their children aged 8-12 in relation to duration of time on social media as well as supervision by parents. The most difference was seen in 9-year-olds. Screening parental education level and introducing counseling for parents, especially those with education high school level or less, regarding supervision of online activity of children may help increase parental engagement and child safety. Our patient population was predominantly from minority groups and further studies to look at disparities with families from non-minority parent- child dyads may help improve equity in healthcare