Lesson video

Hello, welcome back to this unit of work, mental wellbeing talking about our emotions.

in this lesson, we will be discussing the importance of limiting our screen time and also the possible negative effects of spending too much time online.

For this lesson you will need an exercise book or some paper and a pen to write with.

If you do not have these things in front of you now pause the video and get the equipment that you need.

Let's now have a look at our agenda for today's lesson.

We will start with this question.

How does being online impact our mental wellbeing? We will then look at why limiting screen time is important.

And discuss the effects of spending too much time online, and using screens.

We will then reflect on how we can manage our mental wellbeing online.

And you will finish the lesson with an exit quiz.

Today's keywords include, mental wellbeing.

This is all about your thoughts and feelings and how you cope with the ups and downs of everyday life.

Our second keyword today, is cyber bullying.

This is when somebody uses technology to bully someone online.

Our first question today, is how does being online impact our mental wellbeing? There are of course positive impacts from being online.

And for me, the first one that comes to mind is that I am able to use technology, screens, and being online in order to meet and stay in contact with people from all over the world.

I would like you to pause the video now and think of any other reasons that you could add to this list.

Let's have a look to see if you have anything that I have got on my longer list.

So we've already discussed but it is a good way to meet other people from around the world.

But did you also consider that it is an easy and cheap way to communicate? And it also provides access to lots of different support groups that can be available online.

You may have other things on your list, which is fantastic and make sure you're sharing those with the people that you live with.

Now let's consider the negative impacts, because sadly there are negative impacts about being online.

If we think about our keyword today cyber bullying, using technology to bully someone online is a negative impact of using screens.

Pause the video now and see if there is anything else that you can think of that may be a negative impact of being online.

Let's now have a look at what you wrote on your list and compare it to mine.

Some of the things that I added, was the fear of missing out or possibly being jealous of another person.

There is also that pressure to look a certain way.

And these things can really have a negative impact on our mental wellbeing.

Why is limiting screen time so important? I would like you now to pause the video and reflect back and see how many of the six ways to positive wellbeing you can remember.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to resume.

Right, let's see how many you can remember.

Being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others, being mindful, sleeping, and finally connecting with others.

Although using a screen and being online can support with all of these ways to positive mental wellbeing, remember you do not always have to rely on a screen.

There are ways to complete these activities without having to go online or use a device.

Let's reflect on some activities that we have already discussed in these lessons that would not need you to go online.

Pause the video now and see how many ways you can remember.

Okay, let's see what you got.

Hopefully, you remembered that having a family meal, playing a card game or playing a board game, going for a walk or going to play a game outside with your friends are all examples of ways to positive wellbeing that do not need you to go online or to use a device.

Let's move on to our next question.

What are the effects of spending too much time using screens? in order to do this, meet Nikki.

We are now going to have a look at a typical day for Nikki.

I'm going to give you some examples from Nikki's day and on your piece of paper or the worksheet, I would like you to decide whether the event is a positive experience or a negative experience.

If you need to pause the video to get the equipment that you need, do that now.

So let's start.

Nikki wakes up at 7:30 AM and checks his phone.

He spends 30 minutes scrolling through social media and everybody just seems so happy and perfect.

Is this a positive experience for Nikki or a negative experience? Decide now.

Hopefully you agree with me that is a negative experience.

That is not a good start to Nikki's day.

Next, Nikki uses his phone to message his friends so that they can meet at the bus stop together and travel into school.

Is this a positive experience or a negative experience? This is a positive experience.

Nikki is using this to keep himself safe and to make sure that he can arrive on time to school.

Nikki is not allowed to use his phone in school, but he wonders all day about whether he is missing out on any updates.

Is this a positive experience or a negative experience? Again, this is a negative experience.

Nikki is not able to consider his day.

As soon as Nikki leaves the school gate he checks his phone, he spends the entire bus journey, checking notifications and watching videos with his headphones in.

Is this a positive experience or a negative experience? It is a negative experience.

Once again, Nikki is not in the present moment, is he? When Nikki gets home he uses his phone to check what homework he needs to do.

Is this a positive experience or a negative experience? This is a good use of Nikki's phone.

He's able to catch up with what homework he needs to do and that keeps his school, his family and himself happy.

After finishing his homework, Nikki watches a video to help him to practise a new football skill.

Again, is this a positive experience or a negative experience? Hopefully you've seen there that Nikki is using his phone towards one of his ways to positive wellbeing, learning a new skill.

During his evening meal, Nikki messages his friends and laughs out loud at their messages.

Is this a positive experience? Or a negative experience? Hopefully you've seen there that is a negative experience.

Once again, Nikki is unable to concentrate on the present moment.

Later on, in bed, Nikki spends more time updating his social media and he falls asleep with his phone in his hand.

Is this a positive experience or a negative experience? I am sure that you agree with me that this is a negative experience.

So what can we do with this information? Well, your main task today is to pause the video and to rewrite Nikki's experiences.

How can you make Nikki's day more positive? Rewrite it on your worksheet or on your piece of paper and reflect on how Nikki is using his social media.

Press play when you are ready to resume.

Let's now compare our notes, and have a look at my examples and see if you think these are much more positive ways for Nikki to experience his day.

So we start with when Nikki wakes up in the morning.

And I think a much more positive start to Nikki's day would be to get out of bed, have a shower and get dressed.

Go downstairs and enjoy a healthy breakfast and get ready for his day.

The next experience that we saw Nikki having was him not being able to use his phone in school, but thinking about his phone all day.

And constantly wondering whether he was going to have updates or notifications when the final school bell went.

Now, I think, a much more positive experience for Nikki would be to focus on his lessons and the friends that he has got in school.

By doing this, he is being more mindful, and he can really experience and enjoy those things around him.

The next part of Nikki's day that we discussed was when he left the school gates and he immediately checked his phone and spent the entire journey on it.

How can we make Nikki's day more positive here? Well, I think Nikki should consider checking his phone but then putting it away and then spending his bus journey with his friends.

We then saw that Nikki spent his evening meal texting and laughing at messages that he had received from his friends.

Instead, Nikki should consider offering to help with his evening meal.

This will really help him to connect with others and sitting down and enjoying it, asking about other people's day and telling everybody about what he has learned and the experiences that he has had during his school day.

The final experience that we discussed was Nikki falling asleep with his phone in his hand.

How did you make this more positive? For me, I think Nikki should use the phone perhaps for a meditation app.

This will help him to wind down.

But then, he should turn his phone off place it away and go to sleep without any distractions.

This will ensure that he has a much better quality of sleep and he will then be more ready for the next day.

Thank you for taking part in that activity.

And I hope that there are lots of ideas that you can take away and just small changes that you might want to make in your life.

Let's end our lesson with a reflection.

How can we manage our mental wellbeing online? Pause the video and consider this question for yourself.

There are many ways that we can manage our mental wellbeing whilst we're online.

And to do so, think about how much time you are spending on a typical day on your phone or on another device online.

How could you reduce that time? And if you really want to challenge yourself, how do you think social media could be improved to make it a more positive experience for young people? As with every lesson, you will now have an exit quiz to complete.

And if you would like to share any of your work from this lesson, please check with a parent or carer and use the #Oaknational on Twitter.

It has once again, been a wonderful lesson with you and thank you so much for being part of it, goodbye.