‘The Risks and Benefits of Social Media on the Mental Health of Adolescents’ is presented by Dr. Jon Goldin. This webinar is organised by ACAMH’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Special Interest Group.
About the talk
This talk will explore the burgeoning use of social media by adolescents in today’s society. It will consider the evidence for the risks and benefits of social media for the mental health of teenagers. Clinical examples will be considered in various areas, including eating disorders and self harm. The benefits of using social media will also be considered. Possible solutions to the challenges posed will be considered, including a consideration of how parents might helpfully respond. Political responses will be discussed including the Online Harms Bill that has been passed in the UK.
Learning objectives
- To understand more about why young people use social media.
- To explore the possible risks of using social media for adolescents.
- To explore the possible benefits of using social media for adolescents.
- To discuss social and political responses to the challenges, including a discussion of the Online Harms Bill and its implementation.
About the speaker
Dr. Jon Goldin FRCPsych is a Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, who has recently retired from Great Ormond Street Hospital after 21 years as a Consultant there. Throughout this time, he was Head of Service on the Mildred Creak Unit and he retired from the NHS in Feb 2023. He now works full time in the Independent sector. Until Feb 2022 he was the Joint Head of Department in Psychological and Mental Health Services (PAMHS). Dr Goldin was Joint Training Programme Director for the Great Ormond Street/Royal London Higher Training Scheme in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for 10 years and retired from this role in March 2022. For several years he was the College Lead on Parliamentary Engagement at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and he remains one of their leading media spokespeople. Dr Goldin was the Vice Chair of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty at the RCPsych for 4 years from 2017-2021. He has an interest in public engagement and lobbying around CAMHS and mental health issues and has been interviewed widely on both TV and radio. In both 2020 and 2021 he was a Finalist, and in Nov 2022 he was awarded ‘RCPsych Psychiatric Communicator of the Year, 2022’.