What to Know About Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Tests for Children

If you have a child or a teenager who seems to clam up when it comes to social interactions or tries to avoid most types of social situations, you might be wondering if they have social anxiety. You might even be looking for an online social anxiety test to help you figure out if there is anything to be concerned about. 

While online social anxiety disorder tests or social anxiety quizzes can be helpful in some cases, social anxiety disorder is something that requires a professional diagnosis and treatment. Here, we’ll discuss everything to know about social anxiety disorders in kids, including symptoms, diagnosis, and how to get effective, compassionate treatment for your child.

What to Know About Social Anxiety in Kids

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by a fear of socializing, intense fear of what others think of you, and a fear of being humiliated. People with SAD may feel scared to talk to strangers, join in group social activities, talk on the phone, or speak in front of a group. Simply put, a person with social anxiety disorder may develop fears and anxieties involving any type of interaction with others.

Social anxiety disorders are common in the overall population. They usually begin in later childhood or during the teen years, but they can develop in early childhood too. Some people with social anxiety disorder experience the condition for their entire lives, while others have it for a handful of years.

According to the Academy of American Pediatrics (AAP), about 5% of children overall live with social anxiety disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that about 9% of teenagers have social anxiety disorder. The lifetime prevalence of the condition is between 8-13%. 

What Does Social Anxiety in Children Look Like?

Every child is unique and symptoms of social anxiety vary from one child to another. For most kids and teens, social anxiety looks like having an intense fear of meeting new people, talking to people, and socializing. It may look like purposefully avoiding social situations and having trouble making friends. 

Some of the other possible signs of social anxiety disorder in children include:

• Physical symptoms in social situations, including increased heartbeat, sweating, stomachaches, nausea, and a flushed face
• Irritability, crying, melting down, and seeming extra clingy
• Very cautious or avoidant in social situations
• Excessively sensitive to criticism
• Trouble with assertiveness in social situations
• Fear of public speaking or performing
• Fear of social interactions among peers, including initiating conversations
• Fewer friendships than other kids their age
• Low self-esteem
• Trouble performing well in school

Distinguishing Between Social Anxiety and Shyness

It’s common to wonder if your child has social anxiety or if they are simply shy. You may also be looking for an online test to help you distinguish between these two. Again, it’s best to get professional help if you think your child might have social anxiety disorder, or if you aren’t sure if they do.

According to the AAP, the way you can distinguish between ordinary shyness and a social anxiety disorder is by the intensity of the symptoms. For example, it’s normal for kids to feel a bit anxious if they have to make a speech or present a project in front of their class. It’s also normal for kids to have some trepidation when meeting a new person.

But when these fears affect a child’s ability to function in their day-to-day life, they may have an anxiety disorder. Children with social anxiety disorders don’t just feel nervous about socializing or going to school: they may actively protest doing these things, and be paralyzed by their feelings.  

What to Know About Social Anxiety Tests

Do I have social anxiety? Does my child have social anxiety? These are some of the questions that might prompt a web search for “social anxiety tests.” What you’ll likely find is that there are many social anxiety tests online. There are even mental health tests and social anxiety tests specifically for children and for teenagers.

These tests prompt you to answer a series of questions about your child’s experience with socializing. Afterwards, they are scored, and given information about what the test scores mean and whether they may have signs of a social anxiety disorder.

While these tests may help you consider your child’s symptoms and gain some insights into their anxiety, they usually aren’t recommended by mental health professionals. First of all, anyone can make an online quiz, and it’s not always possible to know if the quiz is backed by research. Furthermore, not all online quizzes for social anxiety disorder are based on the DSM-5’s criteria for diagnosing social anxiety disorder.

The bottom line? If you want to know if you, your child, or your teen have social anxiety disorder, you need to get a proper diagnosis from a mental health professional.

How Therapists Diagnose Social Anxiety

If you suspect that your child has social anxiety, you can start by connecting with your pediatrician. Your pediatrician may ask questions about your child's symptoms and how they are functioning at home and at school.

Pediatricians use various screening tools to assess mental health, including the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), which looks at mental health issues, including anxiety. If your pediatrician suspects that your child has social anxiety disorder, they can likely refer you to a mental health professional. 

Therapists can also diagnose children and teens with social anxiety disorder. They do this by getting to know your child and asking you and your child a series of questions. Therapists use criteria set forth by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses (DSM-5), the diagnostic tool from the American Psychiatric Association.

According to the DSM-5, in order for a child to have social anxiety disorder, their symptoms have to interfere significantly with their life, routine, and daily activities. Additionally, the child must have had symptoms of social anxiety disorder for six months or more, and the symptoms have to occur when they interact with peers, not just in interactions with adults.

Support for Children With Social Anxiety

If your child has social anxiety, you are likely looking for support. For children, joining a support group for social anxiety can be helpful. It might sound counterintuitive, because people with social anxiety often fear interacting with others, but being in a group among others who experience the same struggles can be reassuring. You are likely to experience less judgment and more understanding about your experience than in other social situations. 

You can find social anxiety support groups both online and in person. You might consider asking your child’s therapist for a referral for a local, in-person support group. They may have recommendations for online support groups as well.

Therapy for Social Anxiety

If your child lives with social anxiety, seeing a therapist is a great way for them to manage their condition and learn tools for coping. Finding a therapist who makes your child feel comfortable and supported is essential. You may want to interview a few therapists or have your child meet several therapists, before you find the right match. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first line of treatment for children with social anxiety. CBT is a type of therapy where children learn to recognize thoughts and feelings that cause them distress, and then learn to manage them with various techniques.

In CBT for social anxiety, the therapist will likely discuss your child’s feelings and past experiences. They may teach your child breathing and meditation techniques. They may also engage in “exposure therapy,” which is when a child is exposed to situations or activities they fear but in the safe environment of the therapist’s office.

Social anxiety can be a challenge for both parents and their kids. But there’s hope. Social anxiety disorder is treatable, and it’s possible for your child to live a full and engaged life once they receive treatment.

If you need further support or assistance in helping a child who is experiencing social anxiety symptoms, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free consultation from a licensed Handspring Health therapist today. 

Works Cited

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Anxiety and Children.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Screening for an Anxiety Disorder: Children.

Colonnesi C, Nikolić M, de Vente W, et al. Social Anxiety Symptoms in Young Children: Investigating the Interplay of Theory of Mind and Expressions of Shyness. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2017;45(5):997-1011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-016-0206-0

Elia J. Social Anxiety Disorder in Children and Adolescents. Merck Manual.

Hitchcock CA, Chavira DA, Stein MB. Recent findings in social phobia among children and adolescents. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(1):34-44.

Leigh E, Clark DM. Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents and Improving Treatment Outcomes: Applying the Cognitive Model of Clark and Wells (1995). Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2018;21(3):388-414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-018-0258-5

McCarthy C. Anxiety in Teens is Rising: What's Going On? American Academy of Pediatrics.

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National Institute of Mental Health. Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness.