A review of the risks associated with children and young people’s social media use and the implications for social work practice

Willoughby, M

Abstract

This paper explores what the research says about the risks to children and young people of using social media. Taking a systematic approach this literature search identified 16 peer reviewed articles, written in English since January 2010. Four areas of risk were identified: cyberbullying and online abuse, exposure to negative forms of user-generated content, the converging of offline and online networks, and developing interpretations of privacy. The research also highlighted how the extent of the risk depends upon the developmental stage and social circumstances. This review provides several implications for social work practice. Social workers must develop their understanding of different social media platforms in order to identify risks and maximise opportunities. Assessment approaches must be tailored to ensure social media use and its effect on those of different ages and backgrounds is considered. Finally they need to consider their role in educating about the risks of social media use.

Citation

Willoughby, M. (2019). A review of the risks associated with children and young people’s social media use and the implications for social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 33(2), 127-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2018.1460587

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: May 8, 2018
• Publication Date: Apr 3, 2019
• Deposit Date: Feb 20, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Social Work Practice
• Print ISSN: 0265-0533
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 127-140
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2018.1460587
• Keywords: Social Sciences (miscellaneous), Health(social science), Drug guides
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2018.1460587
• Related Public URLs: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjsw20/current
• Additional Information: Additional Information : ** From Crossref via Jisc Publications Router **Journal IDs: pissn 0265-0533; eissn 1465-3885 **History: published 03-04-2019; issued 08-05-2018; published_online 08-05-2018