Lesson video

Hello, my name's Miss Willow, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called Social Media and Mental Health, and it fits into the unit Our Online Lives, How Can Being Online Impact My Life? During this lesson, we are going to be talking about mental health and peer pressure, so for this lesson, we require you to have an adult with you.

If you don't have an adult with you at the moment, please return to this lesson when you do have one with you, and if at any point you feel worried or uncomfortable during this lesson, please stop the video and speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe the potential effects of social media on mental health.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These help to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all, Laura says that we need to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should always listen properly before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When disagreeing with someone else, it's really important to challenge the statement and not the person themselves.

Next, Jacob says, no judgment.

We can explore any beliefs or misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged by others.

Next, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join anyone with discussion if they don't feel comfortable, and we should never put anyone on the spot.

Finally, Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

We can discuss examples, but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that identify anyone including ourselves.

If we want to share a story, we can refer to someone as my friend.

This means that we're not going to give away any identifying information.

We're now going to take a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

Our first keyword is distort.

This means to change or twist something away from its normal or true form.

Next, we have mental health.

This is the health of our minds and our emotions.

And finally, we have compare.

This means to look at how similar or different we are to someone else.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called How Can Social Media Affect Our Mental Health? And our second learning cycle is called What Happens When We Compare Ourselves to Others? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle.

How can social media affects our mental health? Social media allows people to connect with others all over the world.

The usefulness of social media has made it a big part of people's daily lives.

First of all, we're going to take a look at some of the positive impacts of social media, so it helps people to connect with each other.

It provides a greater understanding of different cultures that we otherwise might not know about.

It creates communities.

It provides space to speak out on important issues.

It creates space for people to explore their hobbies and interests.

It also means that people can express their interests online and it allows people to show their talents and creativity to a wider audience.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing so far.

Which of the following are positive impacts of social media? A, that it allows people to express interest and explore hobbies.

B, that it guarantees that everything we see online is true.

C, it helps people to connect and build communities.

And finally, D.

It stops people from learning about different cultures.

Which of those are positive impacts of social media? Pause the video, talk to people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A and C are correct.

Some positive impacts of social media is that it allows people to express interests and explore their hobbies, and it also helps people to connect and build communities.

Well done if you said the same thing.

While social media has many benefits, it can also create problems by distorting our view of what's normal or what's real.

So for example, social media shows us a filtered version of people's lives because most people only post the best part of their lives, the highlights, it can seem like everyone else is always happy, successful, or having fun, even if this isn't true or realistic.

When we constantly see edited, filtered or carefully selected content of others, it can make us question our own appearance and our worth.

This can create pressure to behave in certain ways and can make people feel stressed, anxious or even unsafe.

When people believe everything that they see online is real, they may start to compare themselves to others and feel like they aren't good enough.

This comparison can cause low self-esteem, poor body image, feelings of sadness or failure and even conditions like body dysmorphia.

This is when you see your body in a different way than how it actually looks.

Social media can also cause fear of missing out or FOMO.

Seeing others living a particular lifestyle or having a certain amount of wealth can make us feel like we're missing out, and this can lead us to feeling unsatisfied with our lives as they are and it may spiral into more serious mental health conditions.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing so far.

I'd like you to finish the sentence.

Social media can distort how we see ourselves causing A, improved body image.

B, better self-confidence or C, lowered self-esteem.

What do you think the end of the sentence should be? Pause the video.

Talk to people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that C is correct, social media can distort how we see ourselves causing lowered self-esteem.

Well done if you said the same thing.

Another way that social media can affect our mental health is its addictive nature.

Ethan wants to share his experience.

He says, sometimes I can spend hours at a time just scrolling through posts on social media or watching short videos.

Sometimes people find it difficult to stop using social media even when they want to.

This is because many platforms are designed to be addictive.

This means that when we start using it, we can find it difficult to stop.

Social media apps are set up to keep users scrolling.

So for example, watching short videos or getting likes on a post can release dopamine, and dopamine is a reward hormone released in the brain when we see or do something that we enjoy.

Watching lots of content in quick succession can cause bursts of dopamine, which our brains can become addicted to.

Spending too much time online can lead to difficulty sleeping, less time spent with friends or family, less time spent doing offline activities or hobbies, low self-esteem, trouble talking to people in person and not online, and more frequent comparisons with others online and self-criticism.

These problems often reinforce each other creating a negative cycle, so for example, someone who spends too much time on social media might start comparing themselves to others, which lowers their self-esteem and negatively affects their mental health.

This can then make them want to check social media more to see what others are doing, which leads to more comparison and even lower self-esteem.

Understanding this cycle is really important because it can help us to recognize when our social media use might be becoming unhealthy and having a negative impacts on us.

Let's do another check for understanding, and this time I'd like you to complete the sentences with the missing words.

Spending too much time on social media can lead to blank.

This creates a cycle where poor mental health can lead to blank social media use.

Where I've said the word blank, can you decide which word is missing? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Okay, well done if you said that the first missing word was addiction and the second was more so our completed sentences should now say that spending too much time on social media can lead to addiction.

This creates a cycle where poor mental health can lead to more social media use.

Well done if you got this right.

Sometimes social media can involve unhealthy interactions.

Online spaces can include cyber bullying and trolling, which means deliberately posting content to upset or anger others, and people may experience harassment and stalking.

This can be partly because people can say or do more extreme things online than they would face-to-face due to anonymity.

When someone is an anonymous online, this means that they're not disclosing their identity, but it's important to remember that for the majority of people online, we don't know who they really are.

Experiencing bullying, trolling, harassment or stalking online can lead to serious mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety, as well as problems with sleep, concentration and self-esteem.

Online harassment and stalking can look like repeated unwanted messages from someone, sending abusive or threatening messages, posting negative comments on someone's social media profile, creating multiple or fake accounts to harass someone online and using technology to track someone's location.

Online harassment and stalking can also involve sharing private information online.

For example, their home address.

This is called doxing, and it's a really serious offense.

If someone is experiencing harmful behavior online such as harassment or stalking, they can get support.

Josephine who's a charity helpline worker explains that support is available from trusted adults such as parents, carers and school counselors, as well as support services like Childline.

It's important to block and report the person responsible for the harmful behavior on the social media platform as well as to record evidence of their behavior.

It's also important to always report serious incidents to the police, especially if threats are made or personal information is shared.

Let's do another check for understanding.

I'd like you to look at this scenario.

Gareth keeps receiving nasty comments on his posts from someone using different fake accounts.

The person has also started messaging Gareth's friends about him.

What type of harmful online behavior is this and what should Gareth do? Pause the video.

Talk to people around you or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that this is online harassment or cyber bullying.

Gareth should block and report these accounts, take screenshots as evidence, tell a trusted adult, and he can report it to the police if this continues.

Well done if you had something like this.

Let's move on to our first practice task and well done for your hard work in this learning cycle.

I'd like you to explain how social media can affect mental health, and I'd like you to try to use the following words in your answer.

Distorted reality, comparison, unhealthy interactions, addictive and negative cycles.

Can you explain how social media can affect mental health using those words that I've just listed? Pause the video and we'll go through a model answer in a few minutes.

Okay.

Let's see what you might have said.

You might have said that social media can affect mental health in several ways.

So first, social media shows us a distorted version of reality because people only post their best moments, which can lead to harmful comparison.

When we compare ourselves to perfect looking posts, it can cause low self-esteem and poor body image.

Second, social media can involve unhealthy interactions like cyber bullying, stalking and harassment, which can lead to serious mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Finally, social media apps are designed to be addictive by releasing dopamine, and this can create negative cycles where poor mental health leads to more social media use, which can then make mental health conditions worse.

Well done if your answer had some of these ideas.

Well done For your hard work in the first learning cycle, we're now moving on to our second learning cycle.

What happens when we compare ourselves to others? Social media makes comparing yourselves to others much easier than it is in person.

However, when we compare ourselves to others online, it can have a negative impact on our mental health.

For example, Chloe has been comparing herself to others online.

Chloe says, I spend a lot of time on social media looking at what friends and influencers are doing.

It started off out of interest, but I'm starting to compare my life to theirs.

Chloe sees pictures of her friends and influencers on holiday buying nice things and doing fun activities.

Chloe says, everyone looks like they're doing so many fun things all the time.

Their lives look so perfect.

Chloe starts to feel jealous and dissatisfied with her own life.

What Chloe doesn't realize is that what she sees online is often a distorted view of reality.

Chloe starts to question herself.

Chloe says, why can't my life be like that? People must think I'm so boring and not as good as them.

The constant comparison that she's engaging with online starts to distort her views on how she appears to others.

Chloe begins to not only compare her lifestyle to others, but also the way that she looks too.

Chloe says this influencer's skin and hair looks so perfect.

Why don't my hair and skin look like that? When people frequently compare their physical appearance to others online, it can lead to harmful mental health conditions such as body dysmorphia, poor body image, anxiety or depression.

Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Is this statement true or false? Social media makes it easy to compare yourself to others.

What do you think, is true or false? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is true.

It's true that social media makes it easy to compare yourself to others.

Social media is made to entice people through its promotion of exciting and engaging content, but it's important to remember a few things.

Aisha reminds us that not everything we see on social media is real and some profiles are even fake or AI generated.

Jacob reminds us that people distort reality on social media by only posting content that reflects their best moments, and Lucas reminds us that people can use filters to alter the way that they look.

Aisha says that professional photographers, lighting and editing are often used to create perfect content, and Jacob says that even influences and celebrities have insecurities and bad days that they don't share online.

Understanding all of these things can help us to maintain a more realistic perspective when viewing social media content.

Let's do another check for understanding.

Which of the following statements about social media content is most accurate? A, that social media shows us a complete picture of people's lives, including both good and bad moments.

B, people only post their best moments and often use filters or editing to create perfect looking content.

Or finally, C.

Influencers and celebrities never experience insecurities or problems in their real lives.

Which of those statements about social media do you think are the most accurate? Pause the video.

Talk to people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that B is correct.

It's true that people often only post their best moments and they often use filters or editing to create perfect looking content.

Well done if you said the same thing.

Comparison to others on social media is easy, but there are some ways to avoid falling into a comparison trap such as limiting your time on social media and taking regular offline breaks.

Spending time with people offline who make you feel joy, focusing on your own achievements and goals and reminding yourself that everyone is unique and not everything you see online is a reflection of reality.

We can also avoid falling into a comparison trap by following content that promotes body positivity or authenticity and being mindful of how different accounts make you feel and then following those that consistently make you feel worse.

Dr.

Elsie says that if you ever find yourself in a comparison trap on social media or that you feel like your mental health is suffering as a result, you should speak to a trusted adult like a parent, carer or a school counselor.

Support can also be found from online mental health resources such as Childline, as well as GP services for more serious mental health concerns.

Let's do another check for understanding.

I'd like you to decide if the statement is true or false.

There are no positive ways to use social media to protect our mental health.

What do you think? True or false? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that there are positive ways to use social media to protect our mental health, for example, by following accounts that promote positive body image or authenticity, and also by remembering that everything on social media is not always a reflection of reality and by taking regular screen breaks, well done if your answer was something like this.

We're now going to move on to our final practice task and well done for your hard work in this lesson up to this point.

For the first part of this task, I'd like you to explain to Chloe three effects that comparing herself to others on social media can have.

Chloe says, I spent a lot of time on social media looking at what friends and influencers are doing.

It started off out of interest, but now I'm starting to constantly compare my life to theirs and it's making me feel down.

I don't know how to break out of this cycle, and for the second part of this task, I'd like you to answer the question, how can Chloe break out of this comparison trap and access support? Pause the video and we'll go through a model answer in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For the first part of this task where I asked you to explain to Chloe three effects that comparing herself to others on social media can have, you might have said that it can create feelings of jealousy and dissatisfaction with her own life.

It can cause low self-esteem and poor body image when comparing her appearance to filtered or edited images, and it can lead to serious mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, and it can create a negative cycle where poor mental health causes her to check social media even more.

Well done if your answer for the first part of this task was something like this.

For the second part of this task where I asked you to answer the question, how can Chloe break out of this comparison trap and access support? You might have said that Chloe could try to follow more body positive or authentic accounts on social media and limit her time on platforms that make her feel bad.

She could also remind herself that what she sees online is often a distorted version of reality with people only posting their best moments.

For support with her mental health, she could also speak to trusted adults like parents, carers or school counselors, or contact support services like Childline.

Well done if your answer was something like this.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that social media allows us to stay connected with friends, family and loved ones all over the world.

However, it can distort our view of reality because people often only post their best moments and use filters or editing.

This makes comparisons to others online easy, which can lead to low self-esteem and poor body image.

Social media can also involve unhealthy interactions like cyber bullying and harassment.

These problems can create negative cycles and effects our mental health leading to conditions such as depression, anxiety, and online addiction.

If we're ever concerned about our mental health as a result of social media, we can speak to trusted adults or support services for help.

During this lesson, you might have found that you've got some worries or questions, and if you do, it's really important you share these with the trusted adult.

There's also some resources on the screen that are there to help you too.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you again soon.