NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper

Media Advocacy and Using Technology

Media is generally defined as the means of mass communication, and includes broadcasting, publishing and the internet. The scope of media continues to increase dramatically as digital technology becomes more readily available. Social media has become a common method of communication and online gaming provides a further avenue for interaction. Rapid access to instant communication is increasingly the norm, and access from highly portable sources has created a climate where there is constant access to the digital world.NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper
Digital skills, participation and access to online services are important for the whole community, and there is a need for everyone to interact with media and digital technology in a smart, safe and responsible way. However, there are specific issues to consider for children and adolescents, who are learning to navigate the online world at younger ages. While being the greatest beneficiaries of the digital era and its many positive benefits, children and young people are also at risk of being exposed to age-inappropriate content, encountering cyber bullying, or losing their privacy. There is a need to be aware of media and digital technology impacts in order to provide balanced and optimal advice and support (Richards et al., 2015).

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There are many positive aspects of media technology that impact children and young people. In Australia and New Zealand, proficient use of technology is increasingly a requirement in many professions, and children and young people who possess such skills will have advantages in many areas that positively impact their development. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry would seek to endorse these and support the access to such benefits for all children and young people.NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper
Examples of general benefits of media and digital technology include:

  • Social media sites provide young people with opportunities to connect with friends and family and develop technical and creative skills. These sites facilitate connection to a diverse and widespread group of people, providing a greater understanding of global issues. There is also evidence that media can have positive effects on social skills in children, and that experiences of using social media platforms are generally positive (Australian Psychological Society, 2017).
  • Education can be enhanced in a number of ways through various media interfaces. For example, students can engage in self-directed learning, collaborate on group projects or exchange ideas about homework. There is evidence that engagement with digital delivery of material allows children and young people to enhance and consolidate learning on an almost inexhaustible range of topics. This access to technology provides young people with essential skills for future roles in adulthood.
  • Electronic games and devices can be used to increase physical activity in children and, as technology has developed, allow for outdoor games and activity. They can also promote social interaction, communication and emotional well-being.NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper

Examples of e-health related benefits of media and digital technology include:

  • Technology provides information about a range of physical and psychological health problems of relevance to young people, which may lead to a positive benefit in terms of promoting engagement with health-care services. There are an increasing number of apps designed for children and adolescents that encourage behaviors such as healthy activity, enhanced medication adherence and smoking cessation, as well as specific mental health support (e.g. headspace).
  • Mental health promotion, including to promote resilience, support parenting and family mental health, address risk factors for mental health problems and disorders, and increase mental health literacy (e.g. KidsMatter).
  • There is a growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of e-health interventions for a number of mental health problems, which can be provided in a timely manner, in privacy and at the individual’s discretion (Rice et al., 2016; Peek et al., 2015). For some this may be a preferable way of accessing help and provide ways to overcome various barriers, including stigma and affordability, which lead to poor uptake of mental health care. E-health interventions may be used to increase access to treatment in remote and rural areas where distance and workforce shortages are a challenge. The World Psychiatric Association has developed a position statement on e-mental health which may help psychiatrists provide guidance in this area.
  • The lives of children and young people who have access to media technology and who take advantage of opportunities such as these could be enriched, especially where this access is in the context of other life experiences and opportunities that promote social interaction, learning and exercise. There are potential benefits that arise from using media to improve health. However, it is important that such developments are additional to services that exist and are not seen as a replacement. Arguably children and young people who do not have such access may be disadvantaged.NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper

Despite the many clear benefits about exposure to, and appropriate use, of media technology, there is much we do not know and some clear problems identified. A significant unknown is the impact of excessive exposure to digital technology such as on development; this area needs further research. Identified problems include:

Problem Internet Use (PIU)

Whilst there is no internationally agreed definition on what constitutes PIU, a sensible working definition is: ‘the pervasive long term and heavy use by a person of internet and computer-based technologies, including gaming, that is out of keeping with one’s educational, social or occupational role, well being and health’ (Tam, 2011). Some authors and commentators consider that, in its most severe form, PIU could be considered an ‘addictive’ condition (internet addiction), showing features such as dependence, mood alteration, tolerance, withdrawal and harm to psycho social functioning. People experiencing problematic use at this level may require input from mental health or addiction services.NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper

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PIU is increasingly recognized as having a potentially significant impact on mental health to varying degrees and not all types will require specialist mental health intervention. Where such problems exist with other mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, distress and substance abuse, it is important that these are assessed and treated. As PIU is relatively new and not formally recognized as a mental disorder, research into treatment is still at an early stage.NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper
Gaming may be a form of PIU. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5), lists internet gaming disorder as a ‘condition for further study’, meaning it is not officially recognized. However the draft 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD), due for publication in 2018, proposes to include the condition ‘gaming disorder’, describing it as a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior so severe that it takes precedence over other life interests.

Social media

A survey by the Australian Psychological Association (2017) found that adolescents spend 3.3 hours a day on social media with some logging on as much as 50 times per day. The survey found high use of social media and technology impacts self-esteem, with two in three adolescents feeling pressure to look good. Further, many are contacted by or make contact with strangers via Facebook, with 15% of respondents in the survey saying this occurs daily. Although the impact of social media on the mental health and well-being of young people is largely unknown, encouragement of better patterns of use may help to minimize the harmful effects. NURS 6412 week 3 Discussion Paper