Socially Unacceptable

A fundamental awareness Program For 8th Grade students

Today, according to Pew Research, 97% of teens use the internet daily, compared with 92% of teens in 2014-15 who said the same. Could you give up social media?

The research said, “About six-in-ten teens ages 15 to 17 (58%) say giving up social media would be at least somewhat difficult to do. A smaller share of 13- to 14-year-olds (48%) thinks it would be difficult.”

Is the internet good or bad?

Good – we often have good motives…

On the one hand, the online world has become critical to everything we do in daily life. The internet is essential for research, homework, paying bills, communication, etc. But technology is used for entertainment and social interaction more than any other activity.

What do you do if you want to cook a delicious meal? Search recipes online. If you’re bored and want to watch a movie? Go online. Did you hear a funny story? Share it on social media.

Bad – we risk having bad results…

The average time per day that most teens spend online is 9 hours! You can easily get carried away posting, sharing, or communicating.

Before you know it, someone is recording someone else without permission, sharing it with everyone you know, and blasting your private business all over the internet.

Why Is Social Media So Popular?

Reinvent Yourself

• Motive: Be Who You Want To Be

The great thing about the internet is we don’t have to share the things we don’t like about ourselves, just the things we do. We can reinvent who we are and become the best-looking, wittiest, and brightest version of ourselves.

• Result: It can become a lie!!!

You were created and designed to be unique. So why try to be something you’re not?  The more you live out this false, virtual, online self, the more you lose who you really are.

Find Self-Worth

• Motive: Feel Good About Yourself

Research says that 65% of teens on social media have had an experience that made them feel good about themselves. We base our self-worth on the number of likes, followers, shares, and comments we get.

• Result: False self-worth

Research shows that social media use causes a 30% increase of depression with guys and a 100% increase in girls. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others and wind up with a major case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). There are also a lot of vicious people online who don’t hesitate to make hateful comments.

Live Video Streaming

• Motive: Fun And Entertaining

People love to video themselves and post it online. We’ll video ourselves doing just about anything because anything goes.

• Result: It Never Goes Away

Most people don’t realize that anything they post on the internet, and that means anything, is stored on the internet forever.

Research

• Motive: Finding Information Is At Our Fingertips

You can get online and find just about anything these days. Just “Google it”.You’ll find it. Even the non-experts will chime in with their two cents. Normal people, like you, can offer what ever information you think others will want to find.

• Result: Some Information Isn’t So Helpful

The internet is actually making us dumber, not smarter. This search and learn technique results in our brain being highly forgetful because we simply look it up online when we need to know it. We don’t retain information long term. And what if the data you found isn’t factual? Do you challenge what the internet tells you? Are you “fact checking” this page? You should be!

Online Gaming

• Motive: Group Entertainment

Gaming brings people together from all over. It opens the door to the whole world and provides endless hours of entertainment.

• Result: It’s Highly Addictive

Two-thirds of the U.S. population are gamers, with the average age being in their mid-30s. What does this mean? You get hooked as a kid to gaming, and then you’re in your 30s still doing the same thing you did as a kid.

Social Networking

• Motive: Building Friendships

Social networking is the norm for how we make friends, communicate with one another, and interact with our peers.

• Result: No Real Human Interaction

Social networking has actually made it harder to interact in real-life social settings. If all our social skills are primarily developed via a virtual world, then how will we learn the basic social skills for authentic human interaction? Think about your most recent family gathering…was there real interaction or were most people on their phones the whole time?

Dating

• Motive: meet people with Less Intimidation

Online dating has become standard today. It seems much less intimidating to scroll through a list of profiles. You can kind of pick and choose the ones you like. It kind of removes the stress of actually getting to know someone through awkward verbal communication.

• Result: Are they for Real?

The risk of online dating is that someone may have misrepresented themselves online. They may have reinvented themselves to be more attractive, smarter, or more accomplished than they are in real life. This kind of catfishing, may lead to great disappointment in the real-life version.

Sex

• Motive: sexual expression or curiosity

Sex makes social media and online activities hugely popular. Simple online searches will yield a bunch of sexual sites to choose from. Many people use pornography as a form of private sexual expression. Your personal exploration in this world, however, makes lots of money for the porn industry. The online porn industry, on average, makes about $3,000 per second.

• Result: Distorted Views on Sex

Pornography doesn’t present a truthful image of sex and human relationships. Research says 93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to internet porn before the age of 18. Read more about the dangers of Pornography.

Remember To Be “SOCIAL”

S – Settings

Add privacy settings to protect yourself from online predators.

O – Once Posted, Always Posted

Remember, once something goes public, you can never get it back. This includes cloud backups from your phone.

C – Content

Never share anything online, or via text, that you wouldn’t do in front of your whole school.

I – Information

Private information is exactly that, private. You can quickly become a victim of online predators by sharing too much.

L – Leaders

In the event you get harassed, in any way, by anyone that makes you uncomfortable or threatened, find a school leader or another trusted adult, and ask for their help.