for hmc: screens, social media, smartphones etc

Digital, Internet, Social Media: effects on teenagers

with Nicola Morgan,Author and Speaker

Up-to-date research, events, classroom materials, advice, books and more:

www.nicolamorgan.com

Digital, Internet, Social Media: effects on teenagers ALL




More information

• www.nicolamorgan.com• Handouts + presentation: today’s blog

• Many free materials• Classroom resources• Events, training, contact

• Information for your schools on my blog today

•

http://www.nicolamorgan.com/

Today

• Understanding the psychology + science

• Seeing the problems

• Taking control

• Strategies

We are “programmed” to act in certain ways

“Programmed” = buzz from activated reward systems

1. Social: survival, support, success

2. Curious:knowledge + success

3. Distracted:survival

Q: What’s 67 x 7?


Oh, look! A cute animal!


Oh, look!

A dangerous

animal!

• Endless doses of pleasure/reward

• Very strong temptation

• Therefore likely over-use

• But what’s the PROBLEM?

What has all that to do with the topic in hand?

4. Anxious:survival

Trouble with screens, Internet + social media

• Repetition of bad news emotional effect

• anxiety

• False information – sharing lies, growing wrong beliefs• Tailored to our existing beliefs; echo-chambers

• Social networking huge benefits, but…• More “friends” than we can manage

• Competition; everyone’s “perfect” lives; measuring self-worth by “likes”

• “Online disinhibition effect” cyber-bullying

LIFE ONLINE

COMING

2019

And more…

• Info overload • “continuous partial attention” ~ occupation of

“bandwidth”

• Trying to multi-task: ineffective, tiring, stressful

• Loss of conversation skills?

• Lowering of empathy?

• Maximising vs satisficing – too much choice is stressful

Even for teenagers

(AND women!)

Surely we get BETTER at all this?

• And surely digital natives are better?

• Multi-tasking and avoiding distraction: evidence mostly no

• Judging quality / truth of info - NO

• But some causes for hope:• Young people are not stupid

• Many young people wanting to use tech less

• Research suggests digital “addiction” easier to treat

• We have done this before:

Here’s where I think we are

What can/should we do?

“Ditch the order’???

What can/should we do?

1. Attitude check

• Understand the power of temptation: the biological reward mechanism

• Remember: young people and adults

• Stop making empty comments about “young people today”• We must understand this intellectually

2. Act as for addiction

EG?

• Intrinsic motivation: • Know the benefits

• Notice how good it feels

• Want that again

And?

• SMART goal: Eg “Focus on work for 30 mins”

• Make it easier:• Do it with others• Put devices/social media out of sight ~ Make it difficult

to access• Use Apps that block social media – “Self-control”• Family/group/school switch-off-screens time

• 1.5hrs before sleep ~ Meals ~ When someone wants to talk

• Replace/distract with other engaging activities

SEE MY RECENT “STOP BINGEING” BLOG POSTS

Online Wellbeing Pledge

• See my blog for Six Steps to Online Wellbeing Pledge

• Use it to start a conversation

• Adapt it with your students

Sine qua non

• Parental buy-in….

My Message

• We are all vulnerable and all responsible

• Need to understand how we work

• Need to know the risks

• Need to develop “active agency”

• We need to control one finger –

that’s all!

Digital, Internet, Social Media: affect us ALL




for hmc: screens, social media, smartphones etc

Education