APA SIG: Injury Control | Digital Age: Promoting Safety in Social Media

Sunday, April 27, 2025

7:00am – 8:30am HST

Location: Convention Center: 303

CE: 1.5

SIG Chair(s)

Holly Hanson, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Christopher Gaw, MD, MPH, MBE

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio, United States

Disclosure(s):

Holly R. Hanson, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Christopher E. Gaw, MD, MPH, MBE: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Over the past two decades, there has been immense growth in social media use among the pediatric population. Children and adolescents are increasingly engaged in content creation and dissemination on a wide range of social media platforms. Though social medica can enhance interpersonal connectivity and improve information sharing, research has identified potential risks with its use among children. Social media engagement among youth has been linked to poorer sleep, attention, and mental health, as well as exposure to unsafe content or contacts. Additionally, the emergence of social media challenges, such as the “Tide Pod,” “One-Chip,” and “Blackout” challenges, have led to injuries among youth.

The social media and digital age have created new challenges for pediatricians and public health professionals dedicated to the health and safety of children. This session features a discussion with digital media and injury prevention experts and will provide a framework for a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities to prevent social media-related harm.

Speakers:
Leah K. Middelberg, MD: The epidemiology of social media-related injuries and harm, with a focus on social media-based challenges.
Mark R. Zonfrillo, MD, MSCE: Challenges and opportunities to adapt injury prevention efforts to the current digital age.
Lara B. McKenzie, PhD, MA, FAAHB: Strategies for pediatricians and public health practitioners to enhance social-media safety.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the injury epidemiology of social media-related challenges among children and adolescents.
Understand the challenges and opportunities in applying evidence-based injury prevention interventions in the digital age.
Review strategies for clinicians and public health practitioners to reduce social-media risks to children and adolescents.

Presentations:

7:00am – 7:30am HST

The Epidemiology of Social Media-related Injuries and Harm, with a Focus on Social Media-based Challenges
SIG Speaker: Leah K. Middelberg, MD (she/her/hers) – Nationwide Children's Hospital
7:30am – 8:00am HST

Challenges and Opportunities to Adapt Injury Prevention Efforts to the Current Digital Age
SIG Speaker: Mark R. Zonfrillo, MD, MSCE (he/him/his) – The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
8:00am – 8:30am HST

Strategies for Pediatricians and Public Health Practitioners to Enhance Social-media Safety
SIG Speaker: Lara B. McKenzie, MA, PhD, FAAHB (she/her/hers) – Nationwide Children's Hospital