Take the Stress Out of Social Media
10 Critical Conversations for Engaging with Youth about Healthy Social Media Use
Social media continues to be a hot topic in adolescent health and mental health. So much so that the Surgeon General has called for warning labels on social media platforms. Regardless, social media continues to be a prime social activity for most young people. According to 2023 study from the Pew Research Center, nearly half of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly” and while there is much conversation about the potential harms of social media, practical strategies for how to help young people have healthy social media use are lacking. This workshop covers ten critical conversations that youth-serving professionals should consider when working with adolescents around social media. Participants will gain key questions and conversation starters to engage youth in the discussion as well as takeaways for setting young people up for success when engaging with technology and social media. This workshop takes a strengths-based and realistic approach to adolescent social media use and participants will be encouraged to partner with young people to set realistic boundaries and better understand social media's positive side.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Describe a strengths-based, tech-positive approach to working with youth around social media and technology
Understand ten key content areas that are critical to encouraging healthy social media use
Apply conversation starters and strategies for effectively engaging with youth around healthy social media in their work
