Educational Technology Research

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Tweens, Teens, Tech, and Mental Health

As a middle school teacher, I see the wide range of emotions that many of my students go through on a daily basis. Students frequently use technology as an outlet to cope with how they are feeling. With the pandemic interfering with daily life activities, teens have resorted to using technology more often to connect with others.

I took a closer look at Common Sense Media's report titled "Tweens, Teens, Tech, and Mental Health: Coming of Age in an Increasingly Digital, Uncertain, and Unequal World" to learn more about how technology impacts our teenagers and their mental health.


Key Findings

The first key finding that stood out to me was that the article stated that adolescents should use the internet as a social safety net. 

Image Source: Common Sense Media


I was surprised by this because if not used properly, teenages can navigate themseves into unfavorable situations that can have negative impacts on them, their lives, and their mental health. The article did touch on how the socioeconomic status of an adolescent's household can affect their internet usage. 


Image Source: Common Sense Media


Teenages from familes in low income households generally have less supervision when using the internet. This means that they have less guidance on what activities, websites, and social media platforms are appropriate to engage with for their age. Without this guidance, teenagers can find themselves in places that are not for them and engaging with others who are not of the same age. If teenagers are to be using technology as a social safety net, they should be provided with positive and appropriate website. We should be promoting those sites instead of TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. 

The next key finding that stood out to me was the following:

Image Source: Common Sense Media

I find this statement to be true. I have seen it first hand working in a middle school. So often, student issues from social media make it into the school building. If it is something negative, it can definitely impact a student's demeanor and performance for the day. At times, we have had to have administration get involved to resolve the social media issue between students.  

Social media can be a dangerous place. Adolescents are still developing and are also continuing to learn right from wrong. They can be easily influenced by the media and trends that they see on the internet. It is important we provide them with support and guidance when it comes to being a digital citizen.

Why Research?

It is important for educators to be in the know when it comes to technology and how it impacts our students and their mental health. This is because it is not going away anytime soon, it is always going to be evolving and changing. If we do not understand the changes, we will be unable to guide our students appropriately. There is so much out there on the internet and on social media. We need to help support our students with understanding the good and the bad. Taking a look at the trends is important because it can help shape the way we lead and instruct students. As educators can also help to support them emotionally with appropriate internet resources. 

Comments

  1. NMZumpanoOctober 5, 2021 at 6:31 AM

    Thanks for sharing your perspective as a middle school teacher.

    ReplyDelete

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