Digital well-being for teens? Give it a like.
A new tool to help teens maintain a healthy relationship with their screens
Digital well-being for teens? Give it a like.
A new tool to help teens maintain a healthy relationship with their screens
All over the world, both the public and political class are taking a closer look at the phenomenon of social media and screen time among young people. One insight emerges from all these discussions and expert views: excessive screen time is associated with increased risks and a deterioration in health, well-being and motivation at school.
In Quebec, a parliamentary, cross-party commission has been set up to consider ways of regulating screen use and to study its impact. Elsewhere, such as in France, where the age of digital majority is 15, smartphones have been completely banned at schools.
We’re also seeing a high number of lawsuits filed by school boards in Ontario and other regions against social media giants such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. These lawsuits allege that the social media platforms have been purposely designed to encourage compulsive use, modifying young people’s behaviours and impeding their ability to learn.
The discussion around social media and screen time for young people has much further to go, and it isn’t just confined to the classroom. At home, the use of devices remains a subject of concern and conflict for many families.
The challenge to get teens to self-regulate their screen time is compounded by the fact that adults also use the same devices. Teenagers look to adults’ own digital habits much more than we might think to form their own relationship with their screens.
A how-to for adopting healthy screen use, so young people experience only the benefits
Fondation Jeunes en Tête is pleased to have collaborated with the Centre pour l’intelligence émotionnelle en ligne (CIEL), whose mission is to start a conversation on digital issues related to well-being and to equip young people and those around them to successfully navigate today’s hyperconnected reality.
This rewarding collaboration has resulted in the creation of a free downloadable info sheet that provides family and friends of teens with practical advice on how to broach the subject of screen use with them and get them to cultivate a healthy relationship with digital technology.
Are you a parent, grandparent, teacher or someone close to a teen?
Download our info sheet now
With our partner
The mission of the Centre pour l’intelligence émotionnelle en ligne (Le C.I.E.L.) is to start a conversation on digital issues related to well-being. It has developed a prevention program for students in primary and secondary school to protect them from the harmful effects of screen use.