Social Media and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children

Although social platforms allow people to stay in touch with each other, they are also a source of stress. Social media posts that focus on the positive may cause stress for users who are not happy to see how everyone else seems to be doing well in life while they are dissatisfied with their lives. Social media also can provide a platform for the spread of dissenting opinions and hostile and unfriendly comments, which can cause distress. However, it is unclear how stress triggered by social media can cause physical problems and adverse effects on gut health and related body systems. Studies are limited and insufficient to fully elucidate how social media use may affect gut health. Children, vulnerable members of society, are exposed to the negative influence of external factors on their health and well-being. This article, written by members of the Working Group on Social Pediatrics of the European Association of Pediatrics, Union of European National Societies and Associations of Pediatrics, discusses the role of social media as a cause of FGIDs in children. The goal is to raise awareness among general pediatricians and families about this phenomenon, which often affects children and adolecsent