A local school board is aiming to spark a shift in the way students view social media by inviting a former tech insider to speak about the impacts of technology.
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) has partnered with Noelle’s Gift to Children to bring Max Stossel, an award-winning poet, filmmaker, and speaker, to Chatham and Sarnia.
Stossel, who is also the founder of the Social Awakening program, travels around and talks to students, parents, and educators about social media's impact while offering resources to help manage it.
He will be speaking to both elementary and high school students, as well as parents in Chatham on April 13 and in Sarnia on April 14.
Christine Preece, who is the manager of student mental health and wellbeing at SCCDSB, said the effects of social media and technology became more noticeable once students returned back to school after the pandemic.
"Students were isolated and online most of the time," said Preece. "We saw the not-so-great consequences of our youth and what had transpired over the past two and a half years."
The first step to addressing the impact of social media is to raise awareness of the issue, according to Preece. She said the school board is working to promote positive mental health and overall wellbeing for their students.
"We have a tiered framework to implement activities for all students that are in our system," said Preece. "Right now, we're looking at a system-wide change to develop more social and emotional learning."
The tiered approach also looks at targeted interventions for students who may be struggling with their mental health.
In a situation that might require more intense services, Preece said the school would provide clinical counselling or referrals to community partners for more support.
"Students who are online for more than two hours a day -- their mental health goes down," said Preece. "We're seeing depression and anxiety or students having a fear of going out and interacting with people. What they are hearing and seeing online, is also not kind most of the time."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdvNpsiggFk
Stossel's We've Been Sneaking Into Your Brains presentation is for students.
The presentation explores the ways technology is designed to be addictive but also distracting. He provides distinct versions of this talk for students from grade school to college.
"I think we really need to take a step back," said Preece. "Social media is not going away but we need to start looking at ways we help our students use it in a positive manner. It's going to be a challenge for some time."
For parents interested in the presentation, Stossel will be speaking at the Capitol Theatre in Chatham on April 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. He will be speaking in Sarnia on April 14 at the Dante Club from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $10 a person or $15 per couple. They can be purchased online at Noelle's Gift. For anyone not able to afford a ticket, you can reach out to Christine Preece at chris.preece@sccdsb.net
"We look forward to learning together as we gain a behind-the-scenes perspective on the big tech industry and hear from Max about ways in which we can address this issue and support our next generation," said Preece.