MySpace Medicine: Prescription for Harm
Teens are receiving potentially harmful information about health from peers on MySpace, according to a Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center study in the January issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
The Cincinnati Children’s study looked at asthma interest groups and forums on MySpace, and some of the observations were nothing short of shocking. A sample of posts observed in the study said, in essence: "Cocaine helps my asthma. I’ll snort a line and my breathing gets better.” “I would recommend the flu shot for anyone with asthma," and "Sometimes when I don’t have an inhaler, I stick my head in the freezer. My head gets cold, but it helps my asthma."
The researchers say their findings may be the tip of the iceberg, according to Maria Britto, MD, Division of Adolescent Medicine, who led the study. She believes that parents, as well as health care professionals, are the key to keeping teens from harming themselves based on misinformation from peers.
Future studies are needed to determine why adolescents turn to the Internet for health information, Dr. Britto says, but in the meantime, parents and health care professionals should be aware of the conversations that are taking place in cyber space and ask questions.
“Talk to teens about what they’re reading online," says Dr. Britto. "Ask specific questions about what they’re researching and be open to information and ideas that may be new. Ask teens if they think the information makes sense. If your child has a known medical condition, ask regularly what they’ve found new and encourage them to talk to their doctor during the next visit."
She adds that parents should encourage their child to write down interesting things that he wants to pursue so that he can discuss it with a parent or physician.
