Educating Students About Problematic Technology Use: Resources for School Teachers, Staff, and Clinicians

Question: Is there any curriculum or module developed to manage screen addiction among adolescents? 

Answer: We know that the average teen spends multiple hours a day using screens, but adults should not assume that all students understand how to effectively navigate digital and social media. The classroom setting offers many opportunities to help bridge this gap, by offering lessons surrounding digital citizenship, “netiquette” and media literacy.  

Problematic Technology Use 

Before we suggest curricular resources, it might be helpful to talk about problematic technology use. At the Center of Excellence, we use the term problematic technology use, which is using technology in ways that may have social and physical impacts; for example, prioritizing technology use so much that a teen doesn’t interact with friends or family offline, or being on their phone so late into the evening that a teen falls asleep in class.   

While “addiction” terminology may frequently be used to describe problematic technology use, studies show that it’s not an accurate way to describe teens’ experiences with social media. Research finds that when young people experience problematic use of social media, they encounter a broad range of challenges; addictive behaviors are only at the extreme end of that spectrum.   

It's also important to recognize that it’s not something wrong with the teen using the platform that causes them to feel this way; many forms of social media and digital media are specifically designed to capture and hold a user’s interest. It can be hard for children and teens to overcome those design features. Using the language of ‘addiction’ can make it sound like the problem is with the child user, whereas, with support, many teens can learn strategies to overcome that tech design. 

Messaging Matters 

As you think about potential messaging around curriculum, we recommend reviewing this book chapter by Weinstein and James (2022): Chapter 15: School-Based Initiatives Promoting Digital Citizenship and Health Digital Media Use. 

These researchers note to avoid curricula that do not align with research, such as:  

1. Using the language of “addiction” to characterize everyday media habits.  
2. Describing a causal relationship between media activities and mental health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, suicide risk).  
3. Emphasizing total screen time without any attention to the types of digital activities that comprise that time.  
4. Including potentially problematic messages and examples of simplistic and likely ineffective instructional approaches (e.g., just telling all students “Don’t compare yourself to others on social media”)  
5. Lessons with a clear implication that offline activities are inherently more worthwhile than any online activities.  

Curricular Resources 

There are several free, evidence-based curricula designed for middle and high schoolers that can support educators in teaching about digital literacy in a school setting. Examples include: 

• Common Sense Media's Digital Citizenship curriculum includes lesson plans, student hand-outs, interactive activities, videos, games and a chart illustrating how the curriculum fits within Common Core standards. Topics include media balance & wellbeing, privacy & security, digital footprint & identity, relationships & communication, cyberbullying, digital drama, hate speech and news & media literacy. Common Sense suggests 5 instructional models for how this curriculum can be taught in schools. 
• Media Power Youth’s Screenshots curriculum for grades 5 and 6 includes lesson plans, podcasts, a project, and an interactive notebook. The curriculum focuses on thinking critically about social media messages, managing online conflict, exploring how digital media relates to substance use, and practicing empathy when navigating online challenges. 
• Ed Tech Triangle’s model provides teachers and administrators with best practices for technology use in the classroom.   

The AAP Center of Excellence also has resources that may be useful to incorporate into your classes/sessions: 

• Social Media and Youth Mental Health Resources for Teens: This section of our website is specifically designed for tweens and teens and features: 
  • Q&A Portal questions and responses around ways to manage content on social media feeds, how to protect one’s mental health while still staying informed and involved, and so much more. 
  • Short videos on Getting a Healthy Night’s Sleep, How to Find Community Online, and How to Curate Your Social Media Feed. 
• The Glossary of Digital Media Platforms is an online tool with information about how to adjust user settings on a variety of popular social media platforms. Users can use this information to optimize their online experience by adjusting the content they see, choosing when they want to spend time on the app or take a break, and specifying who can contact them.  

Mental Health Education  

In addition to social media and digital media-specific curricular resources, here are some valuable resources to more broadly integrate mental health education for teens into the classroom:   

• Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide: Understanding Mental Health and Mental Illness Version 3: An evidence-based resource designed for grades 9 and 10, focusing on mental health literacy, including optimizing mental health, understanding mental disorders, reducing stigma, and enhancing help-seeking skills.   
• Active Minds Peer-Powered Mental Health Curriculum for High Schools: Empowers students to discuss mental health, available for classrooms and high school chapters.   
• Child Mind Institute Mental Health Skill-Building Curriculum: A workshop series for teaching evidence-based coping skills, adaptable for grades K-12.   
• Stigma Free Society’s Social Media and Our Mental Health: Targets grades 8-12, exploring how to develop positive relationships with social media and its impact on mental health through visual art activities.   
• Mental Health America’s The Do's of Social Media: Offers information for protecting youth mental health in a digital world, including a list of practical tips for managing social media use.   

References 

• Weinstein, E., & James, C. (2022). School-Based Initiatives Promoting Digital Citizenship and Healthy Digital Media Use. Cambridge University Press EBooks, 365–388.   

Age: 10-17  

Topics: Social media, mental health curriculum, school, social media mental health curriculum, Digital citizenship curriculum for teens, school lesson plans on social media, school-based prevention and intervention  

Role: Clinicians; Teachers