“It’s a business I guess for the people that are doing it. They’re making money off it, but for everyone else, it’s just a distraction,” said Nick Siffringer, sophomore at Trinity College.
The jury’s out, and it has been for years on the impact social media has on mental health, particularly among students.
“There are times when I treasure social media for getting messages out, and there are times when social media can be very destructive,” said Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.
That’s what one school district from Seattle believed when it filed a lawsuit against several tech companies. They claimed the use of certain social media platforms has created “a mental health crisis among America’s youth.”
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“I can imagine it leads to a lot of anxiety and depression when you’re constantly comparing yourself or having to see how other people live their lives compared to how you live your life,” said Mindy Gold of Wethersfield.
In addition, there are the potentially dangerous trends and challenges–an issue that’s top of mind for various Connecticut educators.
“We are strong proponents of monitoring social media, TikTok trends,” said Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias. “Our teachers are all over that, reporting and working with administration to try and nip anything in the butt to prevent an issue.”
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There’s no one solution, but rather, a significant gray area when considering legislation.
“I don’t know that there’s been a legislative fix kind of tossed around,” Dias said. “I think nobody knows what that looks like in a responsible and meaningful way that doesn’t also kind of emerge as censorship.”
Dias said proper use comes down to educating students on the benefits and harms. The challenge is having that message sink in.
“The way you reach them is to involve them and engage them in the conversation,” Rabinowitz said. “It can’t be me, saying don’t do this because that doesn’t work.”
Dias said that schools in Connecticut have been addressing topics surrounding social media and mental health in their health classes in order to further the discussion.
