Annotation #3

Source Reference

Clark, D. L., Raphael, J. L., & Mcguire, A. L. (2018). HEADS4: Social Media Screening in Adolescent Primary Care. Pediatrics,141(6). doi:10.1542/peds.2017-3655

Article Type

Academic journal

Summary

            This academic journal briefly discusses the negative effects social media and phone usage has on adolescents and teenagers. Behaviors are similar to an addition which can be managed through the HEADSSS process, a family media plan, follow-up appointments, or a behavioral health referral.

In-depth summary

            The journal begins by explaining the addiction that adolescents have to social media and the progression of addiction as they become teenagers. The amount of time on social media increases from about 16 minutes to 71 minutes per day. Females are engaged the most with an average of 142 minutes per day. As these numbers increase, teenagers are more likely to have feelings of anxiety when they do not have their phones. Those who have the highest use of social media are more likely to be exposed to cyberbullying, sexting, depression, and low self-esteem.

            Psychosocial screening for adolescents helps adults learn more about those who may have an addiction. This assessment is called HEADSSS where “The acronym cues the practitioner to ask questions regarding home life, education, activities, drugs, sexual activity, safety, and suicide and/or depression” (Clark et al., 2018, p.2). Adding another “S” can help determine social media effects. It benefits the patient by educating them about risks of social media use as well as the practitioner by helping them identify patients who may be at risk. For those who are at risk, further steps can be: “(1) crafting a family media plan, (2) follow-up appointments, or (3) behavioral health referral” (Clark et al., 2018, p.2). The first two steps relate to an intervention or treatment whereas the third involves a health clinic. The steps taken typically depend on the parents, however, they may not be aware of the amount of time their child is using their phone because they are not always being supervised. By creating a family media plan, parents can become more involved and help their child control the amount of time social media is being used. Teenagers will typically be opposed to this, but it is necessary to help them form new behaviors. In addition, “Follow-up appointments can be used to hold the adolescent accountable for working toward their personalized goals and provide additional time to address deeper concerns associated with the aberrant social networking usage” (Clark et al., 2018, p.3).

Evaluation (strengths and weaknesses)

            This journal is strong in identifying ways to discover which adolescents and teenagers may be at risk of addiction to social media as well as giving them ways to overcome this addiction. Adding a social media portion to HEADSSS would be a great idea to help the patients, practitioners, and parents. A weakness, however, is that there was not much explanation as to why teenagers are addicted. Focusing more on this and the negative effects can make the argument that social media is hurting teenagers even stronger.

Relation to my research question

            This relates to my research question because it states that social media has a bad effect on mental health. Clark et al. refer to addiction a lot throughout the journal which tends to have a negative connotation. There are some examples and statistics in the beginning which show how much adolescents and teenagers use social media and how if they are without it there are negative consequences.

Significant quotes

“Usage patterns among adolescents resemble the progressive, withdrawal-producing, and dose dependent symptoms of substance addiction” (Clark et al., 2018, p.1).

“As adolescents gradually increase the amount of time spent on these platforms, they also increase the likelihood of experiencing anxiety during periods of withdrawal from their devices. Eighty percent of college students report feeling agitated when their phone is not in sight, and time spent on social networking applications is a good indicator for these feelings” (Clark et al., 2018, p.1).

“Those in the top 10% of time on social networking platforms are at increased risk for many negative consequences, including cyberbullying (electronic communication with the intention of belittling, intimidating, or taunting another user), unauthorized distribution of sexting (photographic or written electronic communications of a sexual nature), depressive symptoms, and decreased selfworth” (Clark et al., 2018, p.2).

Vocabulary words

HEADSSS- home life, education, activities, drugs, sexual activity, safety, and suicide and/or depression

Cyberbullying- electronic communication with the intention of belittling, intimidating, or taunting another user

Sexting- photographic or written electronic communications of a sexual nature