Researchers at UW-Madison Find Pediatricians Helped Improve Online Behaviors of Teens and Young Adults

Thursday, September 21st, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(By Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found pediatricians helped improve online behavior in teens and young adults with a few minutes of social media counseling during regular check-ups.

According to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, the study, which involved nearly 11,000 patients ages 14 to 25, found that young people whose doctor provided social media counseling were twice as likely to report a decrease in online "friending" of strangers.

Dr. Megan Moreno, professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the study's lead author, said the idea for the research came from a growing number of doctors in the American Academy of Pediatrics asking for guidance on how to talk to their young patients about social media.

Moreno said the online platforms have been shown to affect young people's health in both positive and negative ways, including fostering a sense of belonging, impeding sleep and negatively impacting body image.

"That's what led to the idea of being able to study whether providing this education to pediatricians made a difference for both pediatricians and their patients," she said. Over 100 medical practices across the country participated in the study.

Doctors who received the social media intervention training were instructed on how to provide three to five minutes of counseling to their patients. Moreno said providers encouraged youth to balance online and in-person activities, establish boundaries around what information they share online and communicate with their parents or caregivers about their social media use.

The study found teens who received the counseling recalled the information during an interview six months later and were more likely to report having a conversation with the adults in their lives about online behaviors.

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