Florida law requires modern life skills education in K-12. Here’s how schools can bring it to life.
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To protect student safety and well-being as technology like A.I. evolves, Florida requires character-building, life skills, and media literacy education to be integrated into the curriculum of K-12 schools across the state, according to Florida Statute 1003.42.
While these skills are key for preparing future-ready students, they can appear like extra work that is added to educators’ already full plates.
The good news: With The Social Institute’s positive, proactive, and turnkey approach to modern life skills education, Florida schools can integrate this instruction seamlessly into their school day, without creating more work for their educators. Here’s how:
A quick review of education requirements in Florida K-12 schools
The Florida Department of Education outlines the following education to be taught in school as part of regular instruction:
1) Life skills and character building (K-12)
Florida calls out strengthening students’ self-awareness, decision-making, resiliency, and relationship skills as part of required instruction.
2) Career preparation and leadership (Grades 9-12)
For high school, Florida specifically requires education on leadership, career preparation, résumé writing, and interview skills.
3) Media Literacy and the impact of social media (Grades 6-12)
Florida outlines instruction on well-being impact, navigating misinformation, online safety, and reporting threats as requirements for grades 6-12.
How The Social Institute supports Florida education requirements
At The Social Institute, school communities are equipped with the modern life skills education needed to prepare future-ready students. Through #WinAtSocial, a turnkey and easy-to-implement approach, schools help their students navigate social media, technology, A.I., and relationships in healthy ways.
Requirement 1: How The Social Institute supports life skills & character building
#WinAtSocial proactively builds modern life skills by having students practice real-world scenarios, so they know how to navigate challenges if faced with them.
Students strengthen these skills, like positive decision making, critical thinking, and healthy communication, through huddles that reinforce The Social Institute’s Seven Standards, including:
- Play to Your Core: Reflecting our values, character, and interests in our actions online
- Protect Your Privacy: Staying in control of our personal information
- Strike a Balance: Balancing our time and attention on tech with the people around us
- Cyberback: The antithesis of cyberbullying; Having each other’s backs and supporting each other online
- Find Your Influencer: Surrounding ourselves with positive and credible influences, online and offline.
- Use Your Mic for Good: Using social media as a microphone to create meaningful change.
- Handle the Pressure: Finding your own path, no matter the pressure from others
This is the kind of practice that helps students build resiliency and confidence, strengthen leadership skills, improve relationships, and bounce back from setbacks, both online and offline.
Preview #WinAtSocial Lessons in K-12 that support essential skill building:
- #WinAtSocial’s K-2 Offline Modern Life Skills Lessons >
- 3rd-5th grade: Group work and problem solving >
- 6th-8th grade: The long-term impact of what we do online >
- 9th-12th grade: Misinformation spreads quickly >
Requirement 2: How The Social Institute supports leadership, career prep, résumé writing, and interview skill building
High schoolers are building their future in real time, through group projects, texts, emails, posts, and their online reputation.
#WinAtSocial supports career prep and leadership skills by helping students:
- Communicate clearly and respectfully (even in high-pressure moments)
- Lead with character in group settings (online and in-person)
- Think ahead about how choices impact their reputation and future opportunities
Easy ways schools can utilize #WinAtSocial in Grades 9-12:
- Quick huddles before mock interviews to strengthen communication, confidence, and self-awareness.
- Practice challenges that prepare students to navigate experiences like group chat drama, cyberbullying, and online disagreements.
- Review case study scenarios so students can practice problem-solving in a collaborative setting.
Educators can integrate these resources into any classroom, equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in a world beyond 9th-12th grade.
Preview 9th-12th Grade #WinAtSocial Lessons that prepare students for their futures:
Requirement 3: How The Social Institute teaches Media Literacy and the impact of social media
Florida’s expectations are clear: students need support with navigating online pressure & well-being, spotting misinformation, protecting their privacy, and knowing how to take action when something crosses the line.
#WinAtSocial helps schools address these topics in a way that feels positive and proactive, rather than restrictive and reactive, through lessons that highlight:
Student well-being:
- Students learn how social media can impact confidence, stress, and comparison
- They practice setting boundaries that protect well-being and learning
Misinformation (what to look for + what to do next):
- Students learn to pause, question, and verify before they share posts that could contain misinformation
- They talk about how rumors and A.I.-generated misinformation spread, and how to stop the spread
Online safety + reporting threats:
- Students learn to identify warning signs of online scams, what information is and is not okay to share, and how to speak up when needed
- They practice what “reporting” looks like in real situations when they identify scams, cyberbullying, or other concerns online
#WinAtSocial helps educators address modern-day challenges that students face online in ways that are relevant and engaging for students. Plus, these lessons are updated regularly, so schools can empower students to navigate the latest trends and challenges responsibly.
Preview #WinAtSocial Lessons in grades 6-12 that equip students with media literacy skills that support their learning and well-being:
Bring these requirements to life in your school or district
Florida’s requirements are a strong step toward preparing students for the future, and schools don’t have to tackle them alone. #WinAtSocial gives entire school communities a proactive, student-respected way to teach life skills and social media literacy through turnkey lessons, real-world scenarios, and family resources that make learning stick, without adding to educators’ plates.
Ready to meet these requirements with a best-in-class approach? Request a demo of #WinAtSocial to see how your school or district can empower students to be future-ready and navigate their worlds, both online and offline, with confidence and character.
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.