Social Media Influence on Infant Safe Sleep a TikTok Study
Abstract
The leading cause of death in infants age one month-one year in the United States is Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) with about 3,500 deaths each year. These deaths are related to unsafe sleep circumstances. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released updated infant safe sleep (ISS) recommendations (2022) that include a call for healthcare professionals to endorse, model, and educate ISS practices. Also recommended is that media follow ISS guidelines in messaging and advertising. Even as parents and caregivers are educated about ISS by healthcare professionals, their parenting beliefs and behaviors are influenced by social networks including social media. The purpose of this research is to examine the messaging and images around infant safe sleep found on social media, specifically TikTok, to determine adherence of TikTok videos and images to the AAP ISS recommendations. There is a growing body of research in the past few years around the topic of social media messaging impact on infant parenting beliefs and behaviors but none found specific to TikTok and ISS. We are conducting a systematic social media analysis on TikTok videos and images using hashtags related to infant safe sleep, beginning with #infantsleep. We will use the top ten hashtags identified with the use of a scraper by Apify. The videos and images will then be analyzed for compliance with five elements of ISS: supine sleeping, sleeping alone in own sleep space, safe sleep space, empty sleep space, clothed appropriately for sleep. Based on research conducted on other social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook), we expect that few of the videos and images will follow all five of the ISS guidelines. We will recommend that healthcare professionals and systems leverage their social media platforms to educate, endorse and model ISS.
Social Media Influence on Infant Safe Sleep a TikTok Study
CNS E104
The leading cause of death in infants age one month-one year in the United States is Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) with about 3,500 deaths each year. These deaths are related to unsafe sleep circumstances. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released updated infant safe sleep (ISS) recommendations (2022) that include a call for healthcare professionals to endorse, model, and educate ISS practices. Also recommended is that media follow ISS guidelines in messaging and advertising. Even as parents and caregivers are educated about ISS by healthcare professionals, their parenting beliefs and behaviors are influenced by social networks including social media. The purpose of this research is to examine the messaging and images around infant safe sleep found on social media, specifically TikTok, to determine adherence of TikTok videos and images to the AAP ISS recommendations. There is a growing body of research in the past few years around the topic of social media messaging impact on infant parenting beliefs and behaviors but none found specific to TikTok and ISS. We are conducting a systematic social media analysis on TikTok videos and images using hashtags related to infant safe sleep, beginning with #infantsleep. We will use the top ten hashtags identified with the use of a scraper by Apify. The videos and images will then be analyzed for compliance with five elements of ISS: supine sleeping, sleeping alone in own sleep space, safe sleep space, empty sleep space, clothed appropriately for sleep. Based on research conducted on other social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook), we expect that few of the videos and images will follow all five of the ISS guidelines. We will recommend that healthcare professionals and systems leverage their social media platforms to educate, endorse and model ISS.