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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The Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health serves as a centralized, trusted source of evidence and support for children and teens, parents, educators, pediatricians and other professionals who help youth navigate social media
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Children and Screen shares and addresses today’s most compelling questions about media’s impact on child development through interdisciplinary dialogue, objective, scientific research, and information-sharing.
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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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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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Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to: 1. Educate and empower kids, teens, parents, trusted adults, and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). 2. Explain how to report online enticement and victimization. 3. Offer response and support resources for victims and survivors of online child sexual exploitation.
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An article published by the Organization for Social Media Safety. This article describes how social media is used to buy and sell street drugs. Provides conversation starters and shares important information about social media rules and settings.
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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.
