Dear Peace Parents and Families,
On Sunday we concluded our 3-week series during the Education Hour on Teen Mental Health and welcomed in Dr. Marguerite Ohrtman, who spoke on the impact of social media on teens and adults.
Dr. Ohrtman is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at Next Adventure Counseling and Consulting and the Director of School Counseling and Clinical Training at the University of Minnesota in the Counselor Education Program.
During the session, Dr. Ohrtman shared that about 90% of adolescents use social media on a daily basis, and most use multiple platforms. While social media can be used positively as a support network and an outlet of expression, it can also lead to poor sleep quality, negative self-esteem, anxiety, stress, and possible addiction to it.
- Negative self-esteem is often caused by social comparison—people disproportionally post positive content from their lives while rarely showing anything negative.
- Anxiety occurs when people experience FOMO—the fear of missing out.
- Addiction can occur from the boost in oxytocin and adrenaline in the same part of our brain that activates with food, sexual activity, and spending money/gambling, and some drugs.
Dr. Ohrtman also offered these tools for using social media wisely:
- Think twice before posting.
- Keep anything you post positive and appropriate.
- Never share your password, and don’t interact with or “friend” strangers.
- Privacy settings can (and should) be limited to only people you want to interact with.
- Keep in mind your digital footprint—your online interactions leave a permanent trail. Ask, “Would I want my family/grandparents/future college/future employer to see this?”
- Words can wound. Cyber-bullying is never okay, and criminal charges can be applied.
- Parents can digitally monitor screen time and supervise social media use. However, they should also be aware of what they’re sharing, and who they’re sharing it with, on their own accounts too.
Thank you to our guest speakers and to everyone who participated in these important discussions!
Grace and Peace,
Joe