Protecting Teen Minds: Social Media Education in Schools.

We can all bear witness to the fact that over the years, technology has advanced so much and people have grown so attached to social media. I used to think I knew my way around social media but trust me, the kids of today know things I don’t even know.

I wouldn’t say I’m very active on social media because I don’t really have much going on there. But there are somethings I do know my way around, maybe a lot even. Everyday, there’s a new app out there and we are all curious to try it out. Most of us out there are just following the crowd. Any app that comes, we want to hop on and see what’s going on there. Not all of us actually have that time and interest.

However, as a teenager, I remember vividly how active I was on social media. I could spend the whole day online and I wouldn’t even be bothered to attend to things I had to do in real life. At that time, I was in senior high school and I had books to read. My mom would always complain but guess what? I’d put the phone in the book and be on social media. Eventually, she got fed up of me. Most times, I only put the phone away when I had to go to school or when I had exams coming up and that was a bad move on my side.

I was being told the effects of social media on my life but I refused to see it until I had to learn my lesson the hard way. Every high school student today most likely has a cell phone and so I believe that dedicating a period in their school time table to talk to them about the advantages and disadvantages of social would be a great move. As we know, teenagers are rebellious and any attempt to keep them away from what they love the most won’t be received well. On the other hard, sitting down with them to have open discussions on their experiences on the internet, what they’ve been able to learn and the issues they come across there might be a great move.

With this, there’s a high chance these young ones will start to see things from a different perspective and start to use social media more effectively thereby killing two birds with one stone on the side of teachers and the school. Dealing with students can be tough for a start but once we get a hang of it as teachers and learn to relate with them, everything becomes easier for us. These students must be made to feel like they belong and the teachers have their best interests at hand, that’s the only way they would open up and actually take part in such activities.

Personally, I’d say it a great move because why wouldn’t I want my junior sister to make good use of social media with all the millions of opportunities she could potentially benefit from. Social media can be both good and bad to us depending on how we make use of it. The decision however is up to us.

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all images belong to me.

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