Impact of Social Media on young people in Warwickshire

Directors of Public Health (DPH) have a statutory requirement to write an annual report on the health of their population, and the local authority is required to publish it. The DPH Annual Report is a vehicle for informing local people about the health of their community, as well as providing the necessary information for decision makers in local services about gaps and priorities that need be addressed.

The report for 2018 will focus on Warwickshire young people (age 8-25) and the impact of social media on their health and wellbeing.

We are looking to engage with Warwickshire schools to understand the positives and negatives of social media and its impact on health and wellbeing (physical, mental and social).  We will be undertaking:

• An online survey for young people, parents/carers and professionals (probably during February 2016)
• Focus groups with young people, parents/carers and professionals (probably during January 2018)
• Interviews with young people, parents/carers and professionals (probably starting December 2017 and running until February 2018)

Please contact Kate Sahota (Children's Public Health Commissioner) on katesahota@warwickshire.gov.uk or 01926 413763 if you would be interested in taking part in this research. We are particularly looking for schools where:

a) you have experienced problems with social media use with young people and may be willing to talk about it;

b) you are highly regarded/innovative in your approach to social media in school and have seen some benefits from it.