There is no question that social media has become a powerful force in the day to day stimulation of young people and adults alike. O’Keefe and Clarke-Pearson, in a recent survey, found that 22% of teenagers log into their favorite social media platform more than 10 times per day and more than 50% of teenagers are logging in to social media at least 1 time per day. This finding is compounded by the fact that more than 75% of teenagers now have access to a personal cell phone.
The pervasive presence of social media brings forward questions that have previously not been navigated by educators, clinicians, physicians, and families. Simultaneously, each one of these professional groups has an opportunity to harness the positive impact of social media while also buffering young people from the possibly negative impacts. As a result, there are important questions that can be asked to begin the conversation about the true impact of social media on students:
1. How much time is being spent on social media versus in person interactions?
2. What is the nature of the behavior? Is the behavior mimicking typical social interactions or is it behavior that would otherwise be unacceptable?
3. To what extent is the social media platform being used to foster creativity and new ideas?
4. Is the student protected from outside forces that may strive to manipulate, exploit, or harass? What protections are in place?
5. What training has the student and family received about risks and benefits of social media?
Social media is a powerful and constantly changing force and there is no question that as the technology becomes more and more accessible, at younger and younger ages, there will be an impact on the social development of students. Now…how do we make sure that impact is overtly positive.
