I recently received recorded messages from my child鈥檚 school making us aware of the latest ill-advised social media challenges. The caution from the administrator was simple: any action taken with these 鈥渃hallenges鈥� would result in expulsion, among other charges. My first thought was about the profound importance of the mental health and safety.
Although primarily designed for personal use, social media has become a medium of communication and necessary tool for communities, businesses, schools, and other organizations to stay connected with their customers and clientele. We use social media here at the PPMC almost daily to connect with our clients and communities.
Social media permeates our lives: studies show that one in four people are on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
In other words, social media has a consistent presence in our day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, we have incumbered several negative, damaging issues through the abuse of social media over the past couple of decades.
Mental health has been given a significant seat at the table over the past couple of years in regard to determining our overall wellness. Researchers from academic journals such as the Industrial Psychiatry Journal are studying the increase in depression, anxiety, loneliness, and addiction created by the recent uptick in social media use.
However, the positive impact of social media can and should outweigh the negative.
Moving forward, we can put mental health in the forefront of our messaging when using social media. Instead of creating a TikTok challenge that will end with negative consequences, we can create challenges that promote awareness for mental health and wellness.
There are so many more constructive and encouraging ways we can be using social media. Here are a few ideas on how we can use social media to create a positive learning environment for our kids and our educators:
- Create a TikTok challenge that will promote the importance of mental health. The student or educator with the most likes will win a prize!
- Make social media posts where someone鈥檚 character is given a compliment rather than their clothing or accessories.
- Use social media to highlight your strengths and the strengths of others.
- #MentalHealthMonday would be a great way to use a hashtag to start the week. All posts should be encouraging and promote mental health and wellness.
I bet just by reading this you have already thought of some ideas of your own! Put those ideas into practice by using social media platforms for the greater good.
A lot of time is spent creating posts about content that matters to us. My challenge for you is to take time each day to create something that will better our community. Get started with your inner circle of family and friends - send them a post you know will brighten their day!
I hope this blog serves as a reminder that you can use your social media presence for the greater good with posts highlighting positive messaging, like the importance of mental health and wellness.
Let鈥檚 set a good example for the 鈥渓ittle kids鈥� and 鈥渂ig kids鈥� in our lives as we continue to navigate social media.
Always remember help is available. If you or anyone close to you is experiencing mental health issues, please seek help. There are many ways you can find help such as the WISE Play Therapy & Counseling Clinic on 成人头条鈥檚 campus or places such as Sedgwick County鈥檚 . Please take care of yourself and those you care about.
Reference
Srivastava, Kalpana; Chaudhury, Suprakash; Prakash, Jyoti; Dhamija, Sana. Industrial Psychiatry Journal. Jul-Dec2019, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p155-159. 5p. DOI: 10.4103/ipj.ipj_154_20