None of us are immune to the negative effects of poor phone and social media habits. In this activity, you will read some expert advice and decide which tips you would like to incorporate into your daily life. Then, you’ll try out a few, reflect on the results and offer your own advice to others.
First, some context. To accompany “Being 13,” The Times’s Well section has published related reporting, including “What Social Media Does to the Teen Brain.” In it, Catherine Pearson writes that, despite the headlines, the effect of social media on adolescent health isn’t so clear:
Every generation has its moral panic and for Gen Z — teenagers today — it is, undoubtedly, social media.
Recent public health warnings have stoked fears in parents that a generation of kids is doomed because they are always online. Girls, the headlines warn, are at particular risk: Mental health-related E.R. visits are up, anxiety is skyrocketing and they are being inundated with images of the “thin body ideal.”
Still, neuroscientists and psychologists who specialize in the teenage brain put it plainly: Yes, social media is of concern because the rapidly developing adolescent brain may be uniquely vulnerable to what the platforms have to offer. But the science is not nearly as settled as some of the most dire headlines would make it seem.
What do you think? Is teenage social media use an overblown moral panic, or does it merit concern and attention? Do you agree with the United States surgeon general that it is a “significant public health challenge” that requires “the nation’s immediate awareness and action”? Why or why not?
Regardless of how you answered those questions, the next step is to find what works for you. Here’s how:
1. Start with another article in the “Being 13” series: “Adults Are Panicked About Teens and Social Media. These Girls Have Advice.” In it, adolescent girls share their best advice for other teenagers — and what they want adults to know, too. Which ideas would you like to try? Start a list.
2. Then, read some or all of these pieces listed below. Though they are addressed to adults, not teenagers, each article offers strategies you can use immediately. As you read, continue to add to your list the ideas you think might be beneficial to try.
