Social media platforms such as Instagram, X and Tiktok have become landscapes to raise learning and awareness of topics such as mental health. However, for children learning how to navigate virtual spaces, there are many hidden pitfalls. Educators and researchers are increasingly worried about how much digital information their children find online about mental health.
“I had sixth graders who come to my office and we talk about something and they say, ‘Well, yes, for my anxiety.’ And then, “Yeah, I didn’t know you were diagnosed with anxiety, and they’ll say, ‘No, I’ve just seen a lot of Tiktok videos, and I think I have anxiety,'” said Hannah Kemble, a Kansas elementary school counselor and counselor leader coordinator.
Counselors from schools across the country explain similar experiences to Kemble. School children use social media to diagnose mental illness and psychological problems.
For many counselors, the prevalence of children using social media to use self-diagnosis suggests the importance of teaching greater issues and media literacy skills related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the persistent social and emotional impacts from unregulated virtual spaces. Technology could also raise solutions. Some counselors say they are changing their connections with students and testing artificial intelligence platforms.
Among the young people, “at least one in three people were looking for mental health information on social media sites such as YouTube (38%) and Tiktok (34%).” 2024 Common Sense Media Reporta nonprofit organization dedicated to media research and advocacy.
“After the pandemic, there’s a trend of isolation and loneliness that we haven’t yet addressed,” said Jamie Nunez, senior manager at Common Sense Media. “And because counselors play a big role, the counselor-student ratio doesn’t always help with that type of emotional support.”
It’s not just guidance
School counselors play an important role in helping children to regulate emotionally and develop social skills, Kemble said.
“Guidance is a bad word,” Kemble said, referring to the traditional role of school counselors. “We think of people who schedule classes and help with scholarships, but school counselors are more than that. We are investing in strengthening our life skills, so we are thinking about social emotional learning. We are thinking about careers, academics.
However, many counselors have found that they are overworked given that they cannot oversee and be responsible for non-work responsibilities, such as preparing for state tests, saying Sarah Kirk, a former school counselor in California, is currently training counselors across the country.
The American School Counselors Association recommends the ratio of one counselor to 250 students. But a Recent Reports The national average was found to be 385:1. In Kansas, Kemble is the only counselor of her school’s 450 students.
“This idea of students going to social media for support is because they don’t always feel that people will go to school or the community,” Kirk said. “I think it really shows that counselors at our school are often not allowed to play their true role.”
A study by Common Sense Media shows that many young people report feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as physical problems such as eating disorders and substance use.
Nunez warns that using social media in an age of emotional challenges can be particularly dangerous for school children, as virtual algorithms reflux similar content and increase the likelihood that children will be involved in inaccurate or troubling information.
“Social media companies are playing a role in supplying content to children who may be concerned,” Nunez said. “A child gets things like how to deal with symptoms and what specific mental health-related issues are like, as well as things like verification from their peers.”
Become friends with the chatbot
The increased dependence on social media also leads to an increase in the use of AI chatbots among young people when exploring digital form connections.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK “The gap in empathy” Some AI chatbots can be particularly dangerous for children who are still developing cognitive skills.
In recent years, various AI companies have been legally involved in chatbots directing minors I’ll commit suicideto develop Romantic Relationship and Participate in dangerous behavior. In response to unregulated technology areas, Congress Kids off social media law and Youth mental health research method.
Georgia, New York and North Dakota Among many states The ban on mobile phones as part of an effort to reduce digital dependence among young people.
Working almost twice as much as a student recommended for one counselor, Kemble welcomes AI with her work.
“I think we as educators have to have our own AI literacy,” Kemble said. “I look at it all, whether I’m talking to a counselor or a teacher. [AI] With my students, and I fully understand that from a safety and ethical perspective. But we also see where we need to start learning how to use this in a safe way, as this will become a part of their lives, whether we know it or not [how to use] Is that or not? ”
Kemble uses the platform Schoolai to create and oversee chatbots that students use for career, academic, or emotional support. One chatbot she created, Scout Fox, has become a student favorite, she said.
“You can see what the students are doing and warn you if there is any doubt. So you say, “Hey, you put something that indicates they are in crisis, so you need to check this child.” Or you can see it.
Kemble said that he leaves a gap in understanding between children and the surrounding educators, as he fears that adults will not learn the skills they need to navigate AI.
In using AI, Kemble requires parental consent and trains students and families that the chatbot is not a real person. It’s a robot.
“I’m really thinking ethically. I’m really thinking ethically about this because I don’t want the lines between what people should help you with and the chatbot.
She emphasized A formula known among educators As H + ai + H.
“H stands for human, and the center is an AI component, then it goes back to human and then it comes back,” Kemble said. “I think it’s a balanced approach in which someone is monitoring your usage, they’re checking in with you.
There is no judgment
Educators and researchers agree that stronger efforts must be made to teach media literacy skills.
“We need to teach media literacy early and often before our children are exposed to social media,” Nunes said. “We need to teach our children, who are creators. [of the technology]what is their expertise, what is their agenda, are they trying to sell in the end? ”
He emphasized that open dialogue is extremely important.
“I think it’s important to support and interact with what a safe space is between counselors, teachers and parents, rather than banning content or embarrassing students about what they’re watching,” Nunes said.
In California, Kirk sees yoga as a way to connect with young people. Kirk and her team trained around 60,000 teachers and educators across the country on yoga foundations, including breathing, meditation and stretching, as tools to build emotional skills.
“I think there’s a lot of talk about social-emotional learning in school. We talk about a lot of things about coping skills, but we do that for our students,” Kirk said. “We say, ‘Okay, you seem upset, let’s take a deep breath.’ And they take a deep breath and maybe they feel better, but they’re not going to teach students how to use it themselves later and really integrate it into their own life. ”
Although Kirk said there is limited space in the classroom, most yoga poses can be performed without a mat. The job is important in developing lifelong skills and is a key role for school counselors, she said.
