Research

A Review of the Risks Associated with Children and Young People’s Social Media Use and the Implications for Social Work Practice

31 March 2020 2 mins read Deanne Mitchell Children's Services Safeguarding and child protection Social Care Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation

This study reviewed the research literature to understand what the research tells us about the nature of the risks posed to children and young people by their social media use.

Studies observed the convergence of offline and online networks as a developing risk. Picture: jelenaaloskina/Adobe stock

The review included research published since 2010 and based on the specific exclusion and inclusion criteria for the review. Fifteen studies were included in the analysis.

Findings

Four areas were identified where there is a risk that children and young people can be exposed to harm through their use of social media:

Other findings

The research also highlighted how the extent of the risk depends upon the developmental stage and social circumstances. The findings suggest that children aged approximately nine to 11 begin exploring the question of what is real or fake; by 11 to 13, what is fun, even if it is transgressive or fake; and by 14 to 16, what is valuable for them in their increasingly complex social and emotional lives (Livingstone, 2014).

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