The resources below are to help improve parents' and their youth's social media literacy. These resources explain digital environments, critically evaluate online content, and teach children digital citizenship skills to navigate the online world safely and responsibly. Additionally, we’re linked recently published peer-reviewed articles and papers that discuss social media addiction and social media’s effects on mental health.
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In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness. Haidt shows how the "play-based childhood" began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the "phone-based childhood" in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this "great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. -Taken from the Anxious Generation Website. The website offers parent, educator, and youth discussion guides.
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Common Sense Media provides age-based reviews and ratings for media and technology, including movies, TV shows, books, games, and apps. It provides parents and educators with information and tools to make informed decisions about media for children, empowering them to navigate the digital world and promoting media literacy through educational resources and advocacy for child-friendly policies.
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This website provides online safety education and resources for parents and teachers.
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Connect Safety's Parents' Guide to Instagram.
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Connect Safety's Parents' Guide to Snapchat.
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Connect Safety's Parents' Guide to TikTok.
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This article analyzes what makes social media addictive and the negative effects of excessive social media use on school performance, social behavior, and interpersonal relationships.
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In 2023, the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health was published, and this piece discusses both the benefits and risks of social media usage. Review it for yourself here.
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Dr. Scott Poland, Ed.P., has published new work on social media, screen time, and mental health.
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This review takes a deeper dive into social media addiction. This review assesses the social, psychological, and technological factors that contribute to social media addiction and the addiction’s social and psychological consequences. This review also provides intervention and prevention options for social media addiction.
