The negative effects of social media on teens and tweens can be obvious for parents and educators, but there are seldom discussions about the positive effects of social media and the ability they have to use their social media platforms for good. When teaching students how to build healthy screen time habits, it can be helpful to also understand the positive effects of social media and the ways social media enables teens to support their mental health.

What students think about social media (video)

(This student-friendly video can be shown in the classroom or at home)

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What companies are looking for from students (Student, parent, & educator training video)

(This student-friendly video can be shown in the classroom or at home)

Educators and parents: Guide your students' reflection and discussion with this student worksheet. (Log in to your Google account and select File-->Make a Copy)

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Will TikTok and Instagram be your future resume? (Student, parent, & educator training video)

(This student-friendly video can be shown in the classroom or at home)

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What is Google saying about you to your dream company? (Student, parent, & educator training video)

(This student-friendly video can be shown in the classroom or at home)

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Instagram resumes: how to get discovered (Student, parent, & educator training video)

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Positive Effects of Social Media & Screen Time (expert video)

(This parent and educator video is best to be shown to adults)‍

What you’ll learn in this video lesson

Social media and students in the news

Most employers (90%) factor a job candidate’s social media accounts into their hiring decisions, and 79% have rejected a candidate based on their social media content. - The Manifest

What can students do to create a positive online presence?

Three-step plan

Step 1: Audit with a Google Search

Other people with similar names will come up even if students aren’t online yet

• Start with Google in “Incognito Mode” and search your name
• You are still trackable, but this temporarily hides the cookies that websites use to customize results for you
• Other people may come up with the same name or a similar name, or other reasons even if a student isn’t online yet - take note of competition for your results
• Check on a monthly basis for new results

Four ways others will search for you:

1. First Name + Last Name
2. “First Name + Last Name” (in quotes)
3. “First + Last” + City
4. “First + Last” + School

Step 2: Reflect about YOU 

Students should consider thinking about what they want others to know about them with their online reputation

• What are you interested in?
• What do you want to do with your career?
• Are there examples of others with those similar interests or career goals on social media sites who you can follow or get ideas from?
• How do you want to show your unique interests, creative activities, and career goals online?

Step 3:  Shine Online

• Start building a positive set of Google results
• Use the various online platforms as a purpose to showcase your interests, goals, and creative skills instead of only as a social pastime
• Think of your profile and messages in any social media platform as having the possibility of being fully visible in your Google results
• Have fun and share your group photos and updates on what you are doing, but think about how every post could be part of your Google results
• Our favorite social media platforms for creating your own positive Google results to Shine Online are: LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and a personal website/portfolio
• Even if your name does not show up on the first page of Google, others might show up (or your social media will appear soon)
• Do the other people who come up under your name have a very positive footprint?  Will they help you get a job/internship/college acceptance?
• Has everything they have shared been Light, Bright & Polite? If not, we need to start creating positive results for you to  reach the top of Google so the other people won’t have negative effects on your future
• If someone only saw one of the messages or photos in your Google results, would it leave your dream college/career excited to interview you?

15 Examples of Positive Social Media

Social media can be about more than a student's social life

• Virtual communities encourage student engagement and help students feel connected to others with their skills and interesting hobbies. Student organizations you participate in at school might have social media groups (NHS, NJHS, FBLA, FFA, high school sports associations, debate teams, etc)
• Social media enables students to be inspired by career options they didn’t know existed.  You could learn about engineering, zoo-keeping, education, the military, finance, wind turbine and solar jobs, occupational therapists, and hundreds of other career opportunities through educational videos
• Learning platform for job skills: getting feedback (and responding positively)
• Increase our knowledge of different subjects with online courses and distance learning
• Increase our civic engagement and social awareness - NewsForKids, Teen Kids News
• Follow positive people online to support mental health

Social media encourages a sense of community

• Students can teach older adults how to use technology
• Connect with extended family or immediate family online and continue the conversations when offline and in-person

I'm proud to share that my own grandparents are now confident Zoomers, as evidenced by the fact they were the first ones to show up to the party we had the other night with our extended family. - Refinery29

Educational development

• Gain knowledge about science with Snapchat (example: Bear Grylls, NASA)
• Watch educational videos and learn about physics on TikTok (example: @thephysicsgirl, @physicsdude, @stevespangler
• Find mentors at your future school and start networking with other students
• Gather information and explore academic/career paths
• Get daily inspiration by following inspirational people
• Learn programming and technical skills for future job opportunities and career exploration through online learning
• Share your skills for others and use social media to be discovered
• Create an online resume and portfolio to share positive aspects of your life with the SmartSocial Student Branding Academy

Conclusion

Students have been told time and time again that social media can have a negative impact on their lives, but they rarely hear about the ways that it can benefit them or positively impact their mental health. From creating a more dynamic college resume to building communication and online editing skills, social media can create plenty of positive opportunities for students.

While it’s important for parents to talk about the dangers and risks of being online, it’s also important for kids to understand the positives of social media. When kids understand the negatives and positives of social media – and regularly talk to their parents about them – they will be better equipped to use social media wisely. 

Additional Resources

• Positive Effects of Social Media for Students
• Parental Control on Student Devices: What Parents & Educators Need to Know

Students are you using this page for your homework and need to cite your source? Use this MLA format:

“Positive Impact of Social Media & Screen Time: What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know.” SmartSocial, 28 September 2022, https://smartsocial.com/post/positive-impact-of-social-media.