The current generation of tweens and teens live in a media-saturated world.  

According to a 2023 Gallup survey, 51 percent of American teenagers report spending at least four hours per day using social media, with time spent online increasing with age. Teens spend far more time on social media than they spend watching television, doing homework, or pursuing hobbies. In fact, 30 percent of teens spend upward of six hours a day on social media.   

Aside from the opportunity cost – lost time for studies, sleep, in-person socializing – what are the other problematic aspects of habitual media use?   

A new research brief from the Institute for Family Studies indicates that teens who spend more than five hours a day on social media were 2.5 times more likely to express suicidal thoughts or harm themselves, 2.4 times more likely to hold a negative view of their body and 40 percent more likely to report a lot of sadness the day before. 

Backed by these and other studies, in June, the U.S. Surgeon General called for a warning label to be added to social media platforms  

In “Digital Literacy,” ELT Instructor Franca Fiorentino, a member of Bellmore Merrick United Secondary Teachers, covers how to use digital tools safely and how to be a good digital citizen. The course also helps educators incorporate digital literacy into their lessons, regardless of their subject area. “Kids don’t understand internet safety, and they need help from adults navigating this landscape,” she said.  

Here Fiorentino offers some online safety tips for educators: