Course

Social Media and Youth Mental Health

Self-paced
1.5 credits

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Full course description

Description

This session addresses the rising mental health challenges among teens, emphasizing the unique pressures they face today, particularly the role of social media in exacerbating these issues. Featuring discussions with teens from Fairfax County, Virginia, along with insights from the Education Secretary and Surgeon General, the session highlights the need for stronger regulations to protect youth mental health. It also explores the impact of social media, noting that active use can enhance well-being, while passive use often leads to negative emotions. The webinar emphasizes the importance of parental guidance, open communication, and modeling healthy social media behavior to foster understanding. Additionally, it advocates for creating family media plans to balance screen time with other important activities and focuses on building resilience and digital citizenship skills to help teens navigate social media responsibly.

Target Audience

This training video will be helpful to:

  • Parents, teenagers and mental health professionals

Learning Outcomes

After completing this training, you will be to:

  1. Understand the Impact of Social Media on Teen Mental Health: Participants will learn about the positive and negative effects of social media use on teenagers, including how active versus passive use affects their well-being.
  2. Develop Effective Communication Strategies: Participants will explore ways to engage in open, constructive conversations with teens about their social media use to foster better understanding and connection.
  3. Promote Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Participants will gain insights into how to help teens develop digital citizenship skills, enabling them to navigate social media responsibly and with confidence.
  4. Create and Implement a Family Media Plan: Participants will learn how to establish screen time guidelines and balance social media use with other important activities to support teen well-being and healthy relationships.
  5. Analyze the Unique Pressures Contributing to the Rise of Teen Mental Health Challenges:
    Participants will be able to identify and examine the specific pressures facing teens today, including academic stress, peer dynamics, and societal expectations.
  6. Evaluate the Role of Social Media in Exacerbating Teen Mental Health Issues:
    Participants will assess how social media usage contributes to the current teen mental health crisis and identify the mechanisms by which it influences emotional and psychological well-being.
  7. Explore Solutions and Regulations to Protect Teen Mental Health:
    Participants will learn to evaluate potential regulatory and policy solutions aimed at mitigating the negative impact of social media and other external pressures on teen mental health.
  8. Incorporate Perspectives from Key Stakeholders into Mental Health Strategies for Teens:
    Participants will gain insights from discussions with teens, the Education Secretary, and the Surgeon General to develop informed strategies that address the evolving mental health needs of adolescents.

Key Topics

  • Role of social media in mental health, family media plans and digital citizenship.

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