5th GRADE

Unit 1: Building Our Galactic Society  - Digital Citizenship
​LESSON 4: SOCIAL MEDIA

LESSON MISSION

  • ​I can reflect on the positive and negative effects that social media has on my relationships.​
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  • I can recognize "red flags" when using social media and utilize a strategy to handle them.

INTRODUCTION

Let's take some polls.
  1. How many of you have social media? This can be things like TikTok, SnapChat, and Instagram, but also includes kid friendly social media like Messenger Kids, GekoLife, Zigazoo, Kinzoo, and iTwixie. 
  2. How many times a day do you look at your own social media or other people's social media?
  3. If you added up all the minutes in one day in which you checked social media, what is the total amount of time you spend on social media.
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SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW

The law requires you to be 13 years old to sign up for social media accounts that share your personal information. This is why social media accounts ask you your age when you sign up. If you lie about your age, you are breaking the law and the social media's company's terms of use policy. There are kid social media sites that will not share your personal information and require parent permission for kids to use. Zigazoo is one of these kid friendly social media platforms. 

ACTIVITY

VIDEO - TEENS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
If you do not have some form of social media, chances are, you will soon. It is important to understand how to responsibly use social media and understand the impact it can have on your health.
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Watch this video. Pay close attention. We will have a class discussion about the video.

TOOL BOX


​Terms to Know
​social media:  any websites or app that allows users to create and share content and interact with others online

red flag feeling:  When something happens on digital media that makes you feel uncomfortable, worried, sad, or anxious

social media anxiety:  feeling nervous when you can't interact on social media - feeling like you are being left out or missing out on something

social media depression:  a feeling of sadness caused by comparing yourself to others you see on social media
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oversharing:  sharing personal feelings, information, or experiences that you later regret
DISCUSSION TIME
  • What did teens say were some benefits of social media?
  • What did they identify as problems or drawbacks?
  • What feelings do you have when you don't have your phone and can't interact online?
SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH STUDY
There have been many research studies over the past decade on the impact of social media on mental health. Let's discuss the positive and negative impacts these studies revealed. 
SEARCH YOUR FEELINGS

​Now you know the positives and negatives of social media, but how do you know when you are feeling social media anxiety, depression, fatigue, or even addiction. You need to evaluate what you're feeling. If you are having a red flag feeling, you need to use a strategy to help you overcome the feeling before it becomes a problem.

EVALUATE

When you are on social media or online in general, it's important to implement a strategy if you are having a red flag feeling so that you can feel better. The IAMC strategy can help.
IAMC Strategy
  1. ​Identify Your Feelings. What negative emotion are you having? Are you sad, anxious, mad, irritable, or tired?
  2. Ask Yourself Questions. What caused you to feel sad, anxious, mad, irritable or tired?  Has someone been bullying you online? Do you feel like your life isn't as good as others who are posting online? Do you feel that you are missing out on something? How much screen time have you had today or over the past few days? 
  3. Make a Connection.  Are you sad because you look at friends' posts and feel like you don't have it as good as they do?  Are you anxious and mad because your friends posted all about the fun time they had Friday night but you weren't invited? Are you irritable and tired because you have spent 6 hours straight online?
  4. Change it. Once you make the connection between the negative feelings you are having and why you are having them, make a list of tasks that you can do to stop feeling negative and do them.
Using the IAMC Strategy
Let's use a scenario to practice the IAMC strategy.  

For months, you and your three closest friends had been waiting for a new movie to come out. You all convinced your parents to take you to the movie on Thursday and then for pizza afterwards. On Thursday, your sister breaks her arm and you and your mom have to drive her to the emergency room. You are there for hours and end up calling your friends to tell them you won't make it to the movie. Later that night you are thumbing through Instagram and see that your friends decided to go on without you. They have posted pictures telling how much fun they had and sharing private jokes about funny things that happened on their adventure. At first you are sad and then you become angry. You are about to post,

"Thanks a lot jerks. You're such great friends. My sister is fine by the way. No thanks to you losers!"

But.... you stop and decide to use the IAMC strategy first.
As a class, let's use the IAMC strategy. 
  1. ​Identify Your Feelings. What red flag emotion are you having? 
  2. Ask Yourself Questions. What was the situation that you were in when you started having the emotion?
  3. Make a Connection.  How did the situation or event lead to the emotion? Who was involved and what did they do.  
  4. Change it. Make a list of things you can do to feel better. Think about the positive and negative consequences of these things to help you truly identify what you need to do to feel better. Think of the end result and not immediate satisfaction. Then do the things you can control.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

  • ​I can reflect on the positive and negative effects that social media has on my relationships.​
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  • I can recognize "red flags" when using social media and utilize a strategy to handle them.
This lesson was created using:
Common Sense Education - My Social Media Life

ISTE Standards Addressed:
  • ​1.2.a: Digital Footprint - Students manage their digital identity and understand the lasting impact of their online behaviors on themselves and others and make safe, legal and ethical decisions in the digital world.
  • 1.2.b:  Online Interactions - Students demonstrate empathetic, inclusive interactions online and use technology to responsibly contribute to their communities.​
  • 1.2.d: Digital Privacy - Students take action to protect their digital privacy on devices and manage their personal data and security while online.

ITEEA STEL Standards Addressed:
  • ​STEL-4F - Describe the helpful and harmful effects of technology​

AL DLCS Standards Addressed:
  • Citizen of a Digital Culture - Digital Identity 10. Identify appropriate and inappropriate uses of communication technology and discuss the permanence of actions in the digital world.  
  • Citizen of a Digital Culture - Impact of Computing 14. Analyze the impact of social media on individuals, families, and society.