Can my child get antibiotic resistance

[LifesTooShortYOLO]

If he's had three courses of antibiotics in the last 7 months?
I'm so worried and anxious about him having this current course for an ear infection the doctor said it may be viral so wait and see but he seemed worse this afternoon (day2/3) so we gave them. I'm now so worried what it will do if it isn't actually bacterial and is viral having another course of antibiotics 😭😭

It won’t hurt him at all if you’ve given him antibiotics today but it’s actually a viral infection. Antibiotic resistance matters, but it doesn’t make you ill. It means the species of bacteria gradually evolve to be resistant to a particular antibiotic so that antibiotic is then less effective at treating future infections.

The best thing you can do is finish the course of antibiotics now you've started them. If there is any form of bacterial infection this will help reduce the chance of antibacterial resistance developing.

Bacterial ear infections can be nasty and cause lasting damage (if your eardrum bursts it can scare when it heals and if they happens repeatedly your hearing can be affected.) Don’t feel bad for choosing to treat your child’s worsening ear infection with antibiotics if that’s what your doctor advised you to do.

Resistance to antibiotics can be a concern but I don't think three courses in 7 months is too much to be concerned about in your case. As PP said now that you've started this course make sure you finish it.
Context - DS is 4, suffers recurrent ear infections, in his worst one he had 7 courses of antibiotics running consecutively. We now have to have a swab and wait for results before getting antibiotics to make sure he has the correct ones as they are concerned about resistance in his case. He's probably had around 20 courses over the last two years!

My understanding is that antibiotic resistance is at a population level not individual.