Half of US Parents Believe Social Media Is Harming Their Children’s Mental Health

HALF OF US parents think social media is detrimental to their children’s mental health, according to findings from a recent Harris Poll.

The finding highlights growing concerns about how these platforms affect children’s and adolescents’ wellbeing, according to the On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health, which commissioned the survey. In the past year, some platforms have introduced safety measures and lawmakers have discussed bills that would limit user access to social media.

“This is a positive step, but parents can’t trust that this is enough,” said Ariana Hoet, PhD, a pediatric psychologist and clinical director of On Our Sleeves.

“Social media has the ability to increase anxiety and depression in children when used inappropriately, as well as potentially open them up to inappropriate sharing, hurtful language, bullying, and more.”

“Taking an active role in their social media engagement, instead of simply limiting their exposure, can help them feel comfortable to ask questions, report concerns, and seek help when they need it,” Dr. Hoet said.

More than 2000 US adults, including 711 parents of children younger than 18 years of age, were surveyed in late March and early April 2023.The number of adults who said social media has a positive impact on children’s mental health decreased from 43% in 2022 to just over one-third during the survey period.

Despite the results, fewer parents now said they were comfortable talking with their children about mental health — 86% compared with 91% in 2022.

On Our Sleeves offers free guides with tools to start conversations about social media and how to set boundaries to keep kids safe.

Workplace Discrimination Linked to Hypertension Among US Workers

Discrimination in the workplace is associated with an elevated risk for hypertension among US workers, according to study findings published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Jian Li, MD, PhD, from the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined the prospective association of workplace discrimination with onset of hypertension using data from the Midlife in the United States cohort study. A total of 1246 participants were included in the main analysis.

The researchers found that 319 workers reported onset of hypertension during a follow-up of 9923.17 person-years. Participants with low, intermediate, and high levels of workplace discrimination had incidence rates of hypertension of 25.90, 30.84, and 39.33 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Compared with workers with low exposure, those with high exposure to workplace discrimination had a higher risk for hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.11–2.13). Slightly stronger associations were seen in a sensitivity analysis. An exposureresponse association was seen in a trend analysis.

“There are several implications from these findings,” Dr Li said in a statement. “First, we should increase public awareness that work is an important social determinant of health. Second, in addition to traditional risk factors, stressful experiences at work due to discrimination are an emerging risk factor for high blood pressure.” ■