Social media and mental health
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the potential effects of social media on mental health.
Key learning points
- Social media enables us to stay in touch with people around the world.
- Social media can make comparison with the lives of others easy.
- Social media can distort our sense of what is normal.
- Other people's social media feeds can look better than reality.
- Unhealthy online activity can lead to mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression and addiction.
Keywords
Distort - to change or twist something away from its normal or true form
Mental health - the health of our minds and emotions
Compare - to look at how similar or different we are to someone else
Common misconception
What we see on social media is a reflection of people's real lives and experiences.
Social media feeds can distort what is real because people often show only the best parts of their lives.
Teacher tip
Find examples of social media influencers using filters or editing their photos. Explain what changes have been made and discuss the harm of comparing ourselves to a distorted ideal. Be mindful to include appropriate examples.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to the correct definition.
to talk to or spend time with friends, family or new people
the effect that something has on the way a person thinks or behaves
having an effect on something
Q2.Our time online should be combined with...
Q3.Which of the following is an unhealthy way to use the internet?
Q4.Match the type of unhealthy online behaviour with the correct description.
scrolling through negative content for hours at a time
seeing another person's lifestyle/body image and wishing you had it
only looking at content that you agree with or is the same as yours
Q5.The internet can connect people through communities with shared...
Q6.If this is the definition, 'how we value and perceive ourselves', what is the word?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to the correct definition.
to change or twist something away from its normal or true form
the health of our minds and emotions
to look at how similar or different we are to someone else
Q2.Which of the following is not a benefit of social media?
Q3.Social media can our view of what we consider 'normal'.
Q4.Which of the following statements about social media are incorrect?
Q5.Unhealthy social media use can cause serious conditions.
Q6.How can we support ourselves and others to use social media safely?
To help you plan your 10 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Social media and mental health, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Social media and mental health, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 RSHE (PSHE) lessons from the Our online lives: How can being online impact my life? unit, dive into the full secondary RSHE (PSHE) curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.