Social Work in the Digital Age

Social media is a growing and ever-changing method of communication that has a strong impact on the psychosocial well-being of today's adolescents. Studies have found that social media can be detrimental to adolescent self-esteem, can be used to bully and manipulate others, and can exacerbate depressive symptoms. Furthermore, adolescents self-report utilizing social networking websites to find support, guidance, and community revolving around problematic behaviors such as self-harm and eating disorders. Social workers who treat this population should become familiar with the multitude of outlets in order to best support their clients. This paper draws from the authors' experience with this population and the literature to date in order to establish the need for a social work prepared for the digital age.