A Pediatric SIG Sponsored Session. “The Social (Media) Being: Psychiatrists’ Guide to the Trials and Tribulations of the Virtual Self Across a Lifespan”

Abstract:
Social media platforms are a prolific method of entertainment, communication, and content exchange. Initially widely more popular among and utilized by youth, a recent survey suggests up to 72% of US adults use at least one social media app, most on a daily basis. Social media content is largely unmonitored, plagued with misinformation, includes promotion of risky behaviors such as substance use, self-harm, and potentially lethal “challenges”, and is well suited for the rapid spread of sociogenic illness. Additionally, anonymous features of many apps allow for harassment, sexual exploitation and the exchange of elicit substances. On the other hand, social media has also facilitated a sense of connection, and an environment of support, education and social activism for marginalized groups and even improved access to marginalized groups in research studies, highlighting the importance of not “throwing out the baby with the bathwater”. Knowledge of social media apps by consultation-liaison psychiatrists is imperative for culturally informed assessment and treatment.

This pediatric SIG sponsored, engaging, and interactive presentation will provide an up-to-date overview of the most widely used social media apps, current social media trends, and cyber laws and regulations relevant to patients across the entire lifespan.