A new poll from the Kids Mental Health Foundation finds that parents today worry that social media and technology get in the way of their kids building meaningful relationships in school. The poll was conducted Aug. 2 – 4, 2024 and involved 1,146 adult parents of children younger than 18.
In the poll, 50 percent of parents say too much time spent with technology is their kids’ top challenge in forming positive connections.
“We know connections help foster a sense of belonging,” says Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director of the Kid’s Mental Health Foundation. “And when kids feel like they belong at school, they perform better academically and live healthier lives overall,” she adds.
Among kids, the biggest connection-based concerns involve fitting in (14 percent), making new friends in class (17 percent), being bullied or excluded (13 percent) or making new friends in sports or extracurricular activities (5 percent).
Help your child fit in with Hoet’s recommendations:
— Find mentors to model positive behavior, particularly friends or family who face similar difficulties in school
— Seek out settings where a child will fit in, like clubs or sports teams
— Check in with your child regularly to understand how they’re feeling at school or in other social settings
Keep an eye out for warning signs that your kid is spending too much time on social media and technology. According to Hoet, these include:
- Losing track of time
- Acting preoccupied or distracted
- Isolating
- Irritability
- Changes in eating patterns
- Loss of sleep or physical activity
- An increased focus on appearance
- Decreased school performance
SOURCE: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, news release, Aug. 16, 2024
