The Mask of Social Media
Mental Health Worries
Mental health is important for all individuals, no matter their age. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The way that we think, feel, and act all comes from the current state of our mental health. I chose to focus on the mental health category since the students that I currently have are the ones who seem to have been affected the most by the pandemic. Although we have been in school for only a month and a half, I can already tell what state my students' mental health is. There are more students that I'm worried about than not. I always thought that the cause of this was social media because, each student owns smartphone. After reading through a few sources, I have learned some information that opens my eyes to the current situation.
Social Media Takes Over
We all have people that we look up to, either as role models or heroes. Most of the time, children will choose a celebrity to be their idol. Their idols could be inventors, athletes, wrestlers, actors and actresses, singers, groups, or influencers. They become so invested knowing their idol's date and time of birth, favorite food, how they dance, and even their dating lives. Due to this commitment, I found it very interesting that Tom Holland took a social media break in modern times. Tom Holland is best known for his role as Spider-Man. Kids all over the world know who he is and what he stands for. To have a figure like Tom Holland standing up for social media awareness is extremely powerful. In "Why You May Need to Take a Social Media Break Just Like Tom Holland" by Beth Ann Mayer, it is stated that, "'I have taken a break from social media for my mental health because I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming' said Holland, 26. 'I get caught up, and I spiral when I read things about me online, and ultimately, it's very detrimental to my mental state. So, I decided to take a step back and delete the app'" (2022). Even though, Tom Holland is a celebrity, I still think what he did was phenomenal. He was able to demonstrate what should be done when being overwhelmed which is taking a step back. I think that is a life skill that all individuals should practice especially children. Bullying seems to be at an all time high, so showing children that it is possible to remove yourself from social media could be beneficial. They are able to stop themselves from seeing content that is disturbing, conversations that are not appropriate, and surround themselves with more positive interactions. The article continues with tips to tell if you need a social media break. Obviously, the individual using the social media is the most equipped to decide when a break is necessary. I think it would be impactful to teach my own students this practice since they are living off social media. They are always up to date with trends and what is popular, so taking a break could become a healthy boundary.
A strong belief that I had prior to exploring the resources listed under mental health was that social media has ruined generations. I grew up playing with every child that lived on my street. Today, I can drive miles on end and still not see a child outside. I always blamed social media thinking that it poisoned children today. After reading "Social Media Has Not Destroyed a Generation" by Lydia Denworth, my perspective has changed. Within the article, a study that was done by Psychological Science, took a closer look at mental health symptoms and technology immersion among teens. It was found that, "Routines in place at the start did not predict later mental health symptoms, and mental health was not worse on days teenagers reported spending more or less time on technology" (2019). This made me believe that students are struggling with their mental health state because of all the different situations going on in their lives. As students get older, they are taking on more activities making their schedules more intense. They are meeting new peers, learning new content, experiencing global phenomenas, and so much more. As their age increases, so does their responsibilities which is new. Students might be struggling to balance out their lives since it was so much simpler back then. This is certainly a new perspective that I have since I always pointed my finger at social media. It was also interesting to see that the article mentioned, "... some adolescents find much needed social support online and that adults should pay closer attention to what works in that regard" (2019). This made me automatically think about my students who are more shy. With being online, they are able to represent themselves in a way that makes them comfortable and safe. They are able to express themselves at their own pace rather than being rushed. I think that being understood online could give them more confidence in themselves. Just like anything else in life, there is good and bad. Social media could have negative effects, but it is our job as adults to make sure that children are experiencing the positive ones. As educators, we could expose our students to the power that social media has. We can teach them how to be safe and use social media moderately. Social media could be beneficial for students personally as well as academically. This is why it is important to change the stereotype that social media has in order to provide the best possibilities for our students, the future of the world.
Students Take Over Social Media
A recommendation that I have for social media would be that educators should use it for academics. For example, a classroom Twitter could be created in order to share every day learning with the world. The teacher could assign a different student each week for creating tweets. This student would be responsible for pinpointing interesting lessons to share online. They would create the tweet, and possible even add a photo of the activity. With having students switch off, each would have the opportunity to use social media in a way that might have not done before. Parents could even follow the classroom account to be updated with new curriculum. This example allows students to become the teacher! The same process could be done with Instagram, by posting pictures and creating captions. Both of these examples would show students that social media could be used in a way to inform others whether that is on the content being shared or how the students are learning within the classroom. There are many different social media platforms that could be used academically which would increase student engagement. By incorporating such activities, educators would be showing the other side of social media that people like me would have not thought of. It would give all students a voice which could be shared with others online. Students would be able to take control of social media, not the other way around.
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