Twenty Questions (and Answers) About Media Violence and Cyberbullying

Perils and Pitfalls of Social Media Use: Cyber Bullying in Teens/Young Adults

Social media and technology use has increased over the past several years. Inappropriate use or overuse of social media and internet can lead to increase in mental health disorders. Primary care physicians should screen adolescents and young adults for social media and technology use and cyberbullying using a screening tool developed for healthcare settings. Parents should be educated on keeping open lines of communications with their teens to help navigate appropriate technology behaviors and put proper boundaries in place. Counseling interventional programs and educational programs can be utilized to help prevent cyberbullying and treat those who have been affected.

Perception and use of social media by Indonesian adolescents and parents: A qualitative study

Social media are popular among adolescents worldwide, including the global South. The way adolescents use social media is influenced by their own perception of social media but also by how their parents use and perceive social media. This study aims to understand how Indonesian young adolescents (12-15 years old) and parents of adolescents use and perceive social media. For this purpose, we conducted eight focus group discussions and eight semi-structured interviews with 30 Indonesian adolescents and 15 Indonesian parents. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data reveals that both adolescents and parents use social media for social, practical, and pleasure activities. Most adolescents mention that they consider themselves skilled in using social media, while parents consider themselves less skilled. Both adolescents and parents mention that social media offer benefits for adolescents, including emotional, social, and practical benefits. However, adolescents and parents also mention the risks of social media use for adolescents, including social, emotional, and informational risks, as well as the displacement of more meaningful activities. As such, both adolescents and parents do not perceive social media as inherently good or bad but rather as a novel medium that offers benefits for adolescents but also involves several risks to be considered by parents and other relevant stakeholders. This study adds to our understanding of social media use in the global South and offers a theoretical basis for future studies on the impact of adolescents' social media usage on wellbeing in an Indonesian context. However, future research is necessary to depict possible differences in social media use between Indonesia and other countries in the global South.