How Social Media is Impacting YOUTH Today

1. How Social Media is Impacting YOUTH Today January 11, 2012 Lynn Hollingsworth, LISW-CP

2. PHG Counseling Services • 50 Care program: each full time employee is provided 12 counseling sessions free of charge for their family unit. • Licensed, master’s level staff • Individual, family, marital, and group counseling available. • Treat a variety of emotional, behavioral, and relational issues. • EMDR

3. Social Media is among the most common activity of today’s children and adolescents.

4. What is Social Media? • Any Website that allows social interaction, such as: • Facebook • MySpace • Twitter • YouTube • Blogs • Xbox Live

5. Social Media Usage • 22% of teenagers log onto their favorite social media site more than 10x per day. • More than 50% of teenagers log on more than 1x per day. • 75% of teenagers now own cell phones. • 25% use them for social media • 54% use them for texting (typical teen sends 50 texts per day, 31% send >100) • 24% use them for instant messaging Pew Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research Center • 18% of 8-10 year olds spend time daily on social networking sites. • 42% of 11-14 year olds spend time daily on social networking sites. Kaiser Family Foundation

6. Benefits of Social Media and Technology • Staying connected with friends and family • Reconnecting with old friends • Making new friends • Can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialize behind the safety of a “screen” • Sharing pictures and exchanging ideas • Opportunities for community engagement • Enhancement of creativity • Growth of ideas • Expanding connections thru shared interests to include others from more diverse backgrounds. • “Virtual empathy”

7. Risks of Using Social Media • Cyberbullying and Online Harassment • Sexting and Online Sexual Solicitation/Predation • Privacy Concerns/Digital Footprint • Psychological Disorders • Negative Impact on Learning

8. Cyberbullying • Deliberately using digital media (cell phones or internet) to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person. • Sending mean/threatening messages • Spreading rumors online/texts • Posting hurtful/threatening comments • “Hacking” into accounts and sending damaging messages • Pretending to be someone else to hurt a person • Taking unflattering pictures and spreading them • Sexting or sending sexually suggestive messages/pictures about a person

9. Difference between cyberbullying and traditional bullying • Connected to technology 24/7 • Expands reach of traditional bullying • Anonymous • “Viral” • Victim’s response unseen • Lack of response by parents/adults

10. Cyberbullying Statistics • Over half of adolescents have been bullied online. • 26% teen cell phone owners have been bullied/harassed. • Over half of adolescents have engaged in cyberbullying. • Over 25% of teens have been bullied repeatedly thru cell phones or internet. i-SAFE foundation

11. Cyberbullying Statistics • 1 in 10 teens will tell a parent if they have been a cyberbully victim. • Fewer than 1 in 5 cyberbullying incidents are reported to law enforcement. • 1 in 10 adolescents have had embarrassing or damaging pictures taken without their permission (often with cell phone cameras) Hartford County Examiner

12. Cyberbullying Statistics • Most common forms of cyberbullying are mean, hurtful comments and spreading rumors. • Girls are at least as likely as boys to be cyberbullies or victims. • Affects all races. • Victims are more likely to have low self esteem and to consider suicide. Cyberbullying Research Center

13. and Cyberbullying can lead to depression, anxiety, low self esteem, social isolation… suicide.

14. Other Consequences of cyberbullying • Legal consequences • Criminal harrassment, invasion of privacy, stalking • SC Law • Requires school districts to define bullying and outline policies and repercussions for the behavior, including cyberbullying. • School disciplinary action (if administration can prove significant disruption at school)

15. Sexting • Sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images via cell phone, computer, or other digital devices. • 20% of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude photographs or videos of themselves. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

16. Consequences of Sexting • Rapid distribution leading to embarrassment/humiliation, emotional distress leading to mental health condition. • Legal consequences • SC Law • SC Proposed Law

17. Sexual Solicitation and Predation • The act of encouraging someone to talk about sex, to do something sexual, or to share personal sexual information even when that person does not want to. • Youth are more likely to receive solicitations from same age youth, rather than by predators. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/11/adolescentsexualactivity/newmedialitrev/index.shtml • Sexual solicitation rate for teens is estimated to be between 13-19%. http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf

18. Privacy Concerns • One’s “digital footprint” is the collective, ongoing record of one’s Web activity • A threat to a young person’s current and future reputation • “What goes online, stays online” posing a risk to future job and college acceptance

19. Psychological Disorders • Narcissism • Anxiety • Depression Presentation by Dr. Larry Rosen at 119th APA Convention, August 2011

20. “Facebook Depression” • Term recently suggested by American Academy of Pediatrics • Defined as depression that develops when preteens/teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression • Social Isolation • Being accepted by peers and having contact with peers is an extremely important part of adolescence. PEDIATRICS, American Academy of Pediatrics

21. Suicide and cyberbullying • Youth who are bullied or who bully others are at an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completed suicide. • Victims of cyberbullying are almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyberbullying. • Recent study (2010) found that 20% of middle school students reported “seriously thinking about attempting suicide”, while 19% reported “attempting suicide.” Cyberbullying Research Center, 2010

22. Reality of cyberbullying and suicide • Case of Ryan Patrick Halligan (October 2003) AOL instant messaging • Case of Megan Meier (October 2006) MySpace • Case of Phoebe Prince (January 2010) Facebook and texting • Case of Trevor Clementi (September 2010) Webcam and Twitter

23. Negative impact on learning • Checking Facebook at least once every 15 minutes during studying has been linked to lower grades. • “Tech Breaks” Presentation by Dr. Larry Rosen at 119th APA Convention, August 2011

24. Trends in Counseling • Skewed population sample • Texting: can lead to bullying, harassment, easier to text harsh statements than speak in person, sexting incidents exposed to others • Social Media: air out “dirty laundry” including about self and others, leads to increase conflict with friends and/or family • Feelings of low self esteem and/or anger when reading posts of “friends” getting together and being excluded from activity. • Clients are both victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying.

25. Facebook for Educators • Follow any policy of your school or district regarding social media, if one exists. • Decide if you want to accept “friend requests” from students or parents. • If you do, set limitations at beginning of year, i.e. times in which you will return messages or chat online with students. • If you see a questionable post made by a student, speak to administrator/guidance counselor and decide if student’s parent should be contacted. Be upfront with students at beginning of year, if they “friend” you, they are exposing themselves.

26. Facebook for Educators (continued) • Be cautious of posts made to your wall (by you or others). Remove posts that may be deemed inappropriate. • Be cautious of being tagged in photos. Remove tags of photos that may portray you in a negative light. • Utilize privacy settings to limit information shared. • Consider setting up an alternate account just for students and parents of students. • Facebook for Educators Guide on Facebook has some helpful ideas!!!

27. My Big Campus • A social media site for educators and students • Set up very much like Facebook • Greater control regarding your privacy • Able to post comments, blogs, assignments, etc. • Consider setting limits up front on times in which you will be available after school hours

28. Resources • American Psychological Association, press release August 2011 • Cyberbullying Research Center • Hartford County Examiner • i-SAFE foundation • National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf • PEDIATRICS, American Academy of Pediatrics http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/03/28/peds.2011-0054.full.pdf+html • Pew Internet and American Life Project , Pew Research Center http://pewinternet.org/Presentations/2011/Apr/From-Texting-to-Twitter.aspx • US Department of Health and Human Services, 2011http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/11/adolescentsexualactivity/newmedialitrev/index.shtml

29. Thank you! Contact information:lhollingsworth@phgrp.com(864)223-5111