Educators’ role in preparing students for a tech-fueled and social media-filled future
What is school for? Other than the obvious goals of teaching students the academics that will help them pass exams, get into college or a career, and have successful futures, the purpose of school can, and should, be so much more.
Students spend nearly as much time in the classroom with their teachers as they do at home with their families during the school week. So helping students develop modern-day life skills in the classroom that prepare them for a tech-fueled and social media-filled future is just as necessary as the academics they need for a happy, healthy, and successful future.
What challenges are students facing in this tech-fueled and social media-filled world?
Before diving into how we can prepare students for a tech-fueled and social media-filled future, we must first understand what the challenges are that students face every day as they navigate their well-being, social media, and technology.
Our 2023 Insights on How Students Navigate Well-being, Social Media, and Tech found that the average age when students are getting their first phones is ten years old. And the average age when students get their first social media accounts is twelve-years-old. Whether or not students have access to or are restricted from technology at school, they will still have experiences and face challenges with social media and technology throughout their lives.
Cyberbullying
In today’s world, screens make it easier than ever to type something without thinking about how it makes others feel. In fact, 60% of students nationwide report seeing cyberbullying, which can lead to feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression. So it is not surprising that adults want to protect students by removing what seems to be the source of the problem – tech and social media.
But restricting their use of technology and social media is only a band-aid. When teens turn 16 and want to drive, we don’t throw the keys away and hide the car because they may get into an accident. We prepare them for the road with months of driver’s education and practice. The same is true for equipping students to navigate social media and technology with empathy and compassion for others.
In our #WinAtSocial Cyberback Lesson, Handling online hate with pro tips from TikTok’s biggest stars, we prepare students to be ready when they find themselves in bullying situations. During the lesson, students learn the latest facts about bullying, signs that suggest a friend is being bullied, and strategies to support others during bullying situations. Through this positive and proactive approach, students are equipped to navigate social media and technology with empathy and compassion for others.
Pressure to be perfect
Did you know that 45% of Gen Z believe that there is too much pressure to be perfect online? From filters to perfectly curated Instagram feeds, students are no strangers to the pressures of social media. The link between social media and student body image even affects students as young as twelve years old, with a recent study finding that three out of four children as young as twelve dislike their bodies and link these feelings to social media.
This might sound scary, but there is good news: We have the power to help our students navigate the everyday pressures of social media and technology to prepare them for a tech-fueled and social media-filled future.
Not all social media apps are pressuring students to be something they’re not, as social media apps that promote authenticity have been on the rise. Take BeReal, for example, a popular social media app that pushes students to be their authentic selves by not having filters or “do-over” pictures. Students are showcasing their real lives as they randomly receive a notification to capture a photo and have only two minutes to take and share it.
In our Grade 8 Handle The Pressure lesson, Exploring the link between social media, body image, and the rise of BeReal, we give students the chance to express whether they think you can be truly authentic on social media while showing them the stats on how social media impacts body image.
Balancing technology and social media with other responsibilities
On average, students’ screen time increased by 17% since the start of the pandemic, meaning they average 8.3 hours per day using screens for entertainment. On one hand, technology and social media can fuel learning environments, but on the other, they can distract students from other responsibilities too.
Earlier this year, Seattle Public Schools sued social media giants such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram in an effort to protect student mental health. In the lawsuit, Seattle Public Schools claimed that notifications make social media harmful to our mental health. That’s why in our #WinAtSocial LIVE Lesson, Analyzing why Seattle Public Schools are suing social media companies – and the impact apps have on our mental health, we teach students how to set up their own custom Focus Mode to limit distractions and strike a balance with their devices.
Whether educators embrace technology or social media in the classroom, students need to build the mental muscles that will help them balance their time with tech so that they can reach their goals. And why not start building those skills in the classroom? Educators can take a proactive approach to empower their students when it comes to balancing tech and devices in a school setting, and it is easier than you may think.
The intersection between ed tech and student well-being
With 95% of U.S. students having access to a smartphone and 46% of teens using the internet “almost constantly,” simply restricting them from social media, devices, and technology is not the answer. Instead, school communities can help students build modern-day life skills that will strengthen entire school communities and prepare students for their futures.
Not to mention that social media is not inherently bad either – as roughly two-thirds of students say social media makes them feel like they have people who can support them through tough times. Regardless of a student’s unique experience online, helping them develop modern life skills is crucial for their personal growth and well-being. This is where ed-tech and prioritizing social well-being come in.
Adaptable, resilient, collaborative, professional, and a strong communicator. These are all traits we want our students and younger generations to have – but how do we get there? By helping them develop the soft skills, they need to be healthy, happy, and successful. In today’s digital world, students are facing everyday situations that challenge them to use soft skills such as self-awareness, time management, and the ability to show empathy, but through a digital lens.
We recently huddled with Dr. Maurice Elias, a professor of Psychology at Rutgers University and the Director of Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, and he shared that a school’s purpose goes beyond helping children learn basic knowledge. Schools have an integral role in helping students develop social and emotional skills too. Dr. Elias said it best when he said:
“To what extent are we preparing kids for the tests of life and not just a life of tests?”
Social media and tech education and its role in education
To put it simply: Social media is how students are social. Students turn to social media for connection, a sense of community, and even learning, and will continue to do so. As social media continues to evolve, schools are struggling to keep up. Not to mention that students are experiencing situations online that are affecting their experiences at school. Their experiences with tech do not disappear the second they step into the classroom, which is why we need to take a proactive approach to help them navigate their online worlds.
How educators can help prep students for a tech-fueled, social media-filled future
Technology has transformed the way students learn and educators teach. Many schools provided their students with school-issued devices during the pandemic, making technology an even more integral part of their lives. Through this education, students can learn modern life skills in addition to their common core and elective classes. And in today’s world, where students are digital natives, understanding how to use social media and tech for good are modern life skills educators can help students build.
Whether students complete assignments online, turn to TikTok for entertainment, or talk to their friends in group text chats, their digital and physical worlds are one and the same. At The Social Institute, our student-respected peer-to-peer technology empowers educators to teach students modern-day life skills and how to navigate their social worlds – online and offline – positively.
By offering a technology-based, easy-to-use, peer-to-peer technology, we help students and schools nationwide build the soft skills and technology habits that help students thrive online and offline. Students are enhancing their everyday experiences by taking what they learn from our web-based platform and lessons and turning it into a reality. Take our Grade 11 Find Your Influencers lesson, Seeing is believing: Finding mentors and role models to elevate your interests. This lesson teaches students how to use social media platforms like LinkedIn for good when it comes to prepping for college and post-graduate life. Students are taught how common it is for people to find their jobs on social media nowadays and how they can leverage platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram to network and build relationships. For context, over 84% of organizations use social media to recruit, and 73% of people aged 18 to 34 found their last jobs on social media.
This lesson is just one of many where we challenge students to balance and use social media and tech in healthy, positive ways. All of our #WinAtSocial Lessons align with seven social standards that help set students up for success. If social media and technology are how students are being social, don’t we want them to win at it? And if their futures are tech-fueled and social media-filled, don’t we want them to be successful at navigating both?
If you’re interested in learning more, check out our school playbook to proactively empower your students to navigate social media and tech to fuel healthy, happy, and successful futures.
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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.