FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Parents are worried that social media and technology will get in the way of schoolkids building meaningful connections with classmates and teachers during the upcoming school year, a new poll finds.

Half of parents (50%) say too much time spent with technology will be their kids’ top challenge in forming positive connections with those around them, say national poll results from the Kids Mental Health Foundation.

By comparison, 30% considered bullying the top challenge to building connections, and 22% are concerned about the lingering social impact of the pandemic.

Another 19% said their kids struggle to make connections because they don’t feel they fit in due to their race, ethnicity, culture, income level or gender identity, the poll found.

“We know connections help foster a sense of belonging and when kids feel like they belong at school, they perform better academically and live healthier lives overall. Belonging is especially important to the adjustment and acculturation of immigrant children,” said researcher Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director of the Kids Mental Health Foundation and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

“Technology is not all good or all bad, but parents should look for warning signs if you feel your child’s balance with technology use is affecting their real-world social connections,” Hoet added in a hospital news release.

Among kids, the biggest connection-based concerns involve fitting in (14%), making new friends in class (17%), being bullied or excluded (13%) or making new friends in sports or extracurricular activities (5%).

“The good news is that teachers and parents can help increase feelings of belonging in children,” Hoet said. “However, we have to keep in mind that this may be harder for immigrant parents who may not understand the school system and culture.”

Hoet recommended that parents can help a child fit in by:

Finding mentors to model positive behavior, particularly friends or family who faced similar difficulties in school
Seeking out settings where a child would better fit in, like clubs or cultural organizations
Checking in with a child regularly to suss out how they’re feeling at school or in other social venues

Parents also should keep an eye out for warning signs that their kid is spending too much time on social media, video games or other technology, Hoet said. These include:

Losing track of time
Acting preoccupied or distracted
Isolating
Irritability
Changes in eating patterns
Loss of sleep or physical activity
An increased focus on appearance
Decreased school performance

The poll was conducted Aug. 2-4 and involved 1,146 adult parents of children younger than 18.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more on children and social media.

SOURCE: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, news release, Aug. 16, 2024

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