Being a teenager is no joke
Year 7 to 10 students and parents
During teenage years, you are learning a lot both inside and outside the classroom, exploring your interests, and figuring out who you are and how you feel about yourself and others. During this time, you become particularly sensitive to what is happening around you. Big changes occur in your body and your brain. Having social media in the middle of all this makes things more complicated. For example, you may pay a lot of attention to the number of likes or follows you get because it is important to you to be admired by your peers.
Social media is a great tool to connect with friends when used positively (like learning more about what a friend likes or giving them encouragement). Another positive aspect is that it creates opportunities to develop many identities: who you are as a student, friend, sibling, or fan of your favourite band. This exploration can help you understand who you are, what, and who you like.
However, the urge to be popular can also push you to post about risky activities, make mean comments, or send inappropriate photos to gain attention. Digital drama, cyberbullying, and exposure to sick material can make you stressed or upset and ruin your reputation. When something or someone bugs you, it is challenging to make good decisions. Therefore, as you respond to a friend who hurt you, take a moment to chill and think about whether your future self will regret or benefit from this non-erasable addition to your digital foot print. Something can escalate quickly beyond your control and sour your school experience and affect your well-being.
Question: How can you use technology to strengthen your friendships and avoid the downside of social media?
Casper Pieters PhD Dip Ed is an author and educator who uses adventure narratives to enliven the ICT curriculum for young people. www.casperpieters.com
