As part of the Advancing Science, Practice, Programming, and Policy in Research Translation for Children’s Environmental Health (ASP³IRE) center, machine learning, geographic information systems (GIS), and natural language processing to analyze more than 650 million posts related to children’s environmental health are being used. Using preliminary analyses as examples, this commentary discusses the potential opportunities, benefits, challenges, and limitations of children’s health social media analytics. Social media contains large volumes of contextually rich data that describe children’s health risks and needs, characteristics of homes and childcare locations important to environmental exposures, and parent and childcare provider perceptions, awareness of, and misconceptions about children’s environmental health. Twenty five million unique conversations mentioning children, with likes, views, and replies from more than 33 million X (formerly Twitter) users were identified. Many of these posts can be linked to traditional environmental and health data. However, social media analytics have several challenges and limitations. Challenges include a need for interdisciplinary collaborations, selectivity and sensitivity of analytical methods, the dynamic, evolving communication methods and platform preferences of social media users, and operational policies. Limitations include data availability, generalizability, and self-report bias. Social media analytics has significant potential to contribute to children’s environmental health research and translation.

The paper aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the use of digital health technologies in the assessment, treatment, and self-management of psychological and psychopathological factors associated with asthma. A collection of research articles and systematic reviews related to asthma, including topics such as outdoor air pollution, early life wheezing illnesses, atopic dermatitis, digital interventions for asthma self-management, psychiatric disorders and asthma, family influences on pediatric asthma, and the use of mobile health (mHealth) applications for asthma management, were analyzed. Eight selected studies were reviewed to assess the potential of digital health technologies in improving asthma psychological-related factors management and treatment outcomes. The reviewed studies suggest that electronic health (eHealth) interventions, mixed reality tools, mHealth technology-enhanced nurse-guided interventions, and smartphone applications integrating Bluetooth-enabled sensors for asthma inhalers can significantly improve symptom self-management, quality of life, and mental health outcomes, especially in children and adolescents with asthma (JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2019;2:e12427. doi: 10.2196/12427; Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;8:CD012489. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012489.pub2; Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17:7750. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17217750; J Med Internet Res. 2017;19:e113. doi: 10.2196/jmir.6994; J Med Internet Res. 2021;23:e25472. doi: 10.2196/25472; Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2015;114:341–2.E2. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2014.12.017; J Med Internet Res. 2022;24:e38030. doi: 10.2196/38030; Int J Qual Methods. 2021;20:16094069211008333. doi: 10.1177/16094069211008333). However, further research is needed to determine their effectiveness and feasibility in different populations and settings. Tailored interventions that address the specific needs and preferences of patients with asthma and associated psychological factors are crucial for ensuring sustained and equitable use of these technologies. The manuscript emphasizes the importance of addressing psychological factors in the management and treatment of asthma and call for continued research and development in this area.