Teens, Screens, and Social Connection: An Evidence-Based Guide to Key Problems and Solutions

by Alma Spaniardi (Editor), Janki Modi Avari (Editor)

Overview

This book explores the increasingly important intersection of the digital world and mental health in the lives of pediatric and young adult populations. Young people are spending a considerable amount of time on digital screen activities such as social media, texting, and online gaming. The vast majority of teens and pre-teens have access to computers and smartphones shifting social interaction away from face-to-face contact toward online communication.

A practical resource, Teens, Screens, and Social Connection provides the reader with a targeted yet comprehensive understanding of a wide variety of internet and media-related topics facing youth today. Chapters include discussions on the developmental view from early childhood to young adulthood as well as the unique racial and cultural issues pertaining to technology and media. The book provides both the challenges of the internet and media to be identified as well as solutions and clinical pearls that can be immediately applied to clinical practice and real-world scenarios. 

This book is a practical reference that functions as a concise yet comprehensive summary of the most important aspects of this very timely and important topic. It is an invaluable, practical resource for mental health clinicians, as well as students and those professionals who work with youth in other domains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031248047
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	03/15/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Alma Spaniardi MDWeill Cornell Medicine NewYork-PresbyterianChild and Adolescent PsychiatryNew York, NY 
Janki Modi Avari MDWeill Cornell Medical College
White Plains, NY 

Alma Spaniardi, M.D. Service Chief of the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Department Payne Whitney Manhattan, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Spaniardi received her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and was a Phipps Resident in General Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She trained in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s combined program of Columbia and Cornell Universities. She has extensive experience working in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, including as an attending psychiatrist on the adolescent inpatient unit at NewYork-Presbyterian Cornell Westchester and as an outpatient psychiatrist with the New York University Child Study Center. Dr Spaniardi’s clinical interests are quality improvement and the integration of psychiatry and pediatrics. She is an Editorial Board Member for the American College of Psychiatrists Resident’s In-Training Examination (PRITE), regularly speaks at both national and international conferences and has contributed to several books on child psychiatr

Janki Modi Avari, M.D. Psychiatrist, child and adolescent psychiatrist, New York City Children’s Center, Office of Mental Health-New York State. Dr. Avari completed her adult psychiatry training at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. She went on to do her child psychiatry training at the NewYork-Presbyterian Child and Adolescent training program, associated with Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College. In her final year of fellowship she was selected as a co-chief resident at Columbia University Medical Center. After graduation Dr. Avari accepted a position at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College, where she remained for 8 years. She is an assistant clinic professor of psychiatry and during her time at Weill Cornell, she was recipient of teaching and service awards. She currently works at New York State Office of Mental Health focusing on treating child and adolescents with treatment resistant illness. Dr. Avari’s areas of clinical interest are mood disorders and psychotic disorders in children and adolescents.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: We Are Living in a Digital World2. The Role of Media in Development: Early Childhood to Adolescence3. Healthy Internet Use: Is It Possible?4. Social Media and Screen Time in the Clinical Interview: What to Ask and What It Means5. Internet Gaming Disorder and Addictive Behaviors Online 6. Social Media and Cyberbullying7. Sexuality on the Internet: Identity Exploration, Cybersex and Sexting8. Fear of Missing Out: Depression and the Internet9. Contribution of Social Media to Eating Disorders10. Culture, Race and Social Media11. Social Media’s Influence on Identity Formation and Self Expression12. Autism and the Internet13. Peer to Peer Support and the Strength of Online Communities14. Internet Safety: Family and Clinician Protection of Kids Online15. Virtual Mental Health and Telepsychiatry: Opportunities and Challenges with Pediatric Patients16. Remote Education: How to Support Online Learning – Dawn Cunningham High School Educator17. Morality and Ethics: Doing the Right Thing Online18. Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Joshua S. Hales, M.D.(Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services)
Description: This book covers how screen time, computers, and mobile devices directly affect the child and adolescent population. It identifies issues clinically relevant to child and adolescent psychiatrists, beginning with early childhood development and spanning topics such as cyberbullying, sexual identity, internet gaming disorder, and online safety. Unique features include post-chapter quizzes and clinical recommendations (conclusions and tips for clinicians) based on the available evidence.
Purpose: The purpose of the book is to review how internet and social media use affects mental health in children and adolescents, presenting the information in an easy-to-read format. This objective is worthy of review, as the impacts of social media and internet use are continuously being assessed, especially in the context of advancing technologies. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue to light, as both social media use and mental health crises increase in children and adolescents. The book is comprehensive and provides an adequate review of social media use, citing appropriate resources and providing up-to-date evidence.
Audience: The target audience is mental health clinicians working with children and adolescents. The identified audience is appropriate, and the information is particularly relevant for child and adolescent psychiatrists. The book meets the needs of its intended audience. The authors are credible authorities on child and adolescent mental health, according to their extensive clinical experience in outpatient and inpatient psychiatry, and have contributed to other texts in the field.
Features: The book covers specific information on how social media use can positively and negatively impact children and adolescents. It reviews the psychiatric implications of the available information and explores the effects of social media and internet use on patients of different genders, ages, and socioeconomic statuses. The statements of available data are clear and easy to understand, and are directly related to clinical relevance (i.e., how clinicians can improve their understanding or interactions with children and adolescents). Screeners provided include questions to connect with children and adolescents, as well as parents. Post-chapter quizzes solidify the chapter learning objectives. It would have been worthwhile to include a chapter dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ population, as it is only mentioned briefly in relevant chapters.
Assessment: This book provides unique, concise, and clinically relevant data on mental health care in children and adolescents, presented in a well-organized reference style. The chapters detail broad topics of discussion, and are divided into smaller, easy-to-read, and clinically relevant points. Social media is commonly considered a danger to mental health; however, this book takes an objective and data-driven approach to review these assumptions/biases. This information will enhance clinical practice and patient education.

Doody's Review Service