Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

July 30, 2020

How Parents and Their Children Used Social Media and Technology at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations with Anxiety

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  • An online survey of US parents (n=260) found that parents and children (especially teenagers aged 13-18) had increased technology and social media use since the beginning of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Controlling for demographic factors, parents and children with higher levels of anxiety (as reported by parents) were more likely to increase their technology and social media use and use of phones to connect. Among parents, higher anxiety was related to using social media for both social support and information seeking.  

Drouin et al. (July 27, 2020). How Parents and Their Children Used Social Media and Technology at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations with Anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0284