Screen time and social media exposure in children and adolescents - the landscape

Abstract Dr. Cecilia Elias is a Public Health Consultant, collaborating with the Infant, Youth, Sexual and Reproductive Health Division at the Health Directorate General, in Lisbon, Portugal. Following on from John’s introduction, Cecilia will dig deeper into the impacts of the omnipresence of social media and phones in modern society. She will provide an overview of the harms and benefits for today’s youth. She will highlight data for example on impaired development of language, cognitive and social skills from screen exposure at young ages, and increased rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and school refusal among adolescents with problematic social media usage, including examples of significant outcomes. Exposure to disturbing and harmful content on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram will be covered also.