May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Liberty House is incredibly proud to highlight the work of a local high school senior, Carolina, on a project raising awareness and offering tips on social media and mental health. If you missed this campaign on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, we’ve collected these posts in today’s blog All credit for the artwork and social media posts goes to Carolina!
We may not always be aware of how social media can impact our mental health.
Youth are even more vulnerable to the potential harms of social media. While social media can be harmful, we can help reduce risks by raising more awareness. What potential harms come to mind?
One way to protect against potential harms is by having strict privacy settings. Most apps automatically have settings set to public by default. Making accounts private allows users more control of who views their content and it helps prevent unwanted interactions. Consider the benefits of private mode!
What happens when we encounter something that makes us feel uncomfortable or unsafe? How do we respond? Talk with youth about the risks associated with social media, certain words or phrases you would consider buzzwords, and how to take action to keep children safe.
You can also consider what to do in potential scenarios and how to reach for help by checking out our Exploring Your Decisions and How To Talk About Hard Topics resources for teens.
Have you ever stopped to think about how you feel before, during, and after using social media?
Pay attention to how you feel when using your phone and social media.
We all can get overwhelmed and sometimes taking a break can help our mental health. Remind youth that we shouldn’t feel like we have to do anything to be liked or loved. Talk about tips to balance our time, manage our emotions, and what we can do when we’re feeling overwhelmed.
As we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s keep some important things in mind to help safeguard youth and protect ourselves against the negative ways social media effects mental health.
Everything is just one click away from being public and permanent. Recognize devices are designed to be addictive and influence us to spend more time on them, but remember you have the power of choice! Finally, always tell a safe adult and ask when you need help or support.
Thank you so much to local high school senior, Carolina, for creating this campaign!
How can we continue the conversation?
On our iRespect&Protect website, we have a Customizable Digital Media Contract you can fill out together based on your own family values. Developing a contract together as a family can help kids feel included as part of setting boundaries and expectations. One contract isn’t better than another. The main point of this practice is that modeling is the best contract, and it’s only as good as the relationship that binds it.
Check out our Effects of Social Media on Mental Health blog to learn more about the connections between social media use and mental health, actions we can take to make social media safer, and how to start having these safety conversations. We also have a new upcoming educational opportunity for the community.