Social Media and Online Gaming with Friends: Implications for Children's Academic, Social, and Emotional Experiences in Third- through Sixth-Grade Students

This hypothesis-generating research study provided insight into the impact that social media and online gaming with friends play in the lives of students in third- through sixth-grade during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially this study began in February 2020 before the pandemic impacted school closures in New York the following month. However, the study was put on hold until late July, four weeks before children were to return to school in person. Researchers sought to understand the role that social media and online gaming with friends now played during the pandemic, when individuals were quarantined and advised to avoid social interactions. Thirteen parents and eight students participated in this mixed methods study. Data were collected in the form of a student survey and parent/guardian survey; responses were both multiple choice and anecdotal. Concerns pertaining to student behaviors, emotions, academics, and parent-child communication emerged from data analysis. Findings suggest work is needed to help children transition from the online to offline experience, to help parents better understand how literacy is enacted in social media and online gaming, and to increase parent-child communications about expectations and safety in these online spaces.