New social media literacy bills remind us of the importance of modern-day life skills education
Whether it’s a new app that is taking over students’ screen time or it’s the latest trend that is skyrocketing someone to TikTok fame, everywhere you look these days, social media is in the news. As social media is such an integral part of students’ daily lives, it makes sense that states across the country are starting to introduce bills that require their schools to teach students to understand its impact on their well-being and how to navigate it in high-character ways. New Jersey and Delaware have already made it mandatory to teach media literacy in school, with each having a focus on social media specifically. New Hampshire and California intend on being the next states to continue this trend.
So what do these new laws look like and how will they impact your students? Let’s huddle up on this important topic.
What is social media literacy?
Before we get into the social media literacy education laws that states are introducing, we first should understand what social media literacy is. Social media literacy is the ability to navigate and understand the world of social media. Just like reading and writing, social media literacy is about learning how to use social media in positive and high-character ways.
Just as there are different branches of math, like arithmetic, geometry, and algebra, to name just a few, social media literacy has different focus areas that students should learn about. The world of social media is vast and ever-evolving, so we break down just a few of these focus areas below:
- Navigating information online: It’s important to know how to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake on social media. Sometimes, people might post things that aren’t true, but by equipping students with deductive reasoning, research skills, and critical thinking, students can uncover the truth and not fall into the misinformation trap of social media.
- Online Privacy: Being social media literate also means understanding how to protect yourself and your personal information. Students aren’t always aware of how apps use their personal data or how widely their personal information can spread on social media. It’s up to educators to guide them to make positive choices about sharing personal things online. Empowering students to protect their privacy like they are famous helps students navigate social media safely.
- Connecting with others: Social media is a place where students connect with like-minded communities. Sometimes these are communities that students never would have connected to without social media. By encouraging students to play to their core values and post in ways that align with their interests, social media can help students build positive and meaningful connections with others.
Social media literacy education bills
Now that we understand what social media literacy is, let’s dive into the most recent laws that states are passing to incorporate this education into their schools.
- New Hampshire’s Governor, Chris Sununu, signed an executive order to understand and raise awareness of the impact of social media platforms among the state’s youth. The order calls on agencies to create guidelines for a curriculum that empowers students to understand and navigate the challenges of social media and to be taught to K-12 students in health classes.
- California introduced two new bills to enforce and support the mandatory teaching of media literacy in classrooms. The first bill introduced and passed in the assembly is to make social media literacy mandatory in schools, and if passed, the goal is for the bill to be enforced in schools beginning in 2025. The second bill, which has not yet been passed, is to survey schools on how they teach media literacy if at all.
These bills come on the heels of an advisory that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released that outlines the current evidence on the impacts social media has on students’ mental health. The advisory urges us to take action and provides recommendations for various groups so that we can “maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media” on students. The lawsuit, executive order, and newly introduced bills are exciting steps in ensuring all students are empowered to navigate their online worlds in ways that fuel their health, happiness, and success.
TSI’s Take
An increase in social media literacy education in schools could cause a shift in the culture surrounding students and social media. While these social media literacy bills begin to pop up around the country to educate students about social media’s impact on their well-being, it’s more important than ever to guide students to use it as a tool for learning, collaboration, and personal growth.
There are many ways to do this, and The Social Institute has a myriad of advice and resources to get you started. To align with the different focus areas of social media literacy, we created the Seven Social Standards: Play to Your Core, Protect Your Privacy Like You’re Famous, Strike a Balance, Cyberback, Find Your Influencers, Use Your Mic For Good, and Handle the Pressure. When you encourage your students to live by these standards as they navigate their social worlds, you set them up for success online and offline.
If you’re interested in exploring our Seven Social Standards and the lessons that go with them with your students, contact us today!
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.