One of the introductory pages in Common Sense Media’s latest publication, Social Media, Social Life is Aija Mayrock, Author of The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen.
When I read it, it resonated with me so much because it is the message I share passionately with all who will listen. Here it is.
SOCIAL MEDIA: START CONVERSATIONS WHEN KIDS ARE YOUNG
When I was 15 years old, I was the victim of a vicious cyberbullying attack. That Halloween,
a girl whom I had never met dressed up as me for Halloween and posted a picture on Facebook that went viral. Suddenly, I received hundreds, and then thousands, of cyberbullying messages. My classmates and even people I had never met told me to kill myself and that my life was worth nothing.
I was devastated. I felt like the entire world was against me. I didn’t know where to find hope.
In an effort to heal, I wrote a book about my experiences titled The Survival Guide to Bullying. My book was published in 18 countries around the world and became a best-seller. I went on tour and spoke to students, teachers, and parents around the country and learned more than I could ever have imagined about social media and the way young people use it.
Very quickly, I went from demonizing social media to realizing the power and possibility it inhabits. Here is the truth: Social media is social currency for young people. It is a portal to potential and possibilities, even for people who feel hopeless, uninspired, scared, and alone.
When I was younger, I was enmeshed in the negativity social media can create, but today I witness tremendous positives. Many of my fans and followers have gone on to write books and create music, YouTube channels, and social justice movements purely from the power and possibility of social media and technology. This brings me great hope.
As this report from Common Sense shows, lots of negative things can happen on social media. Cyberbullying is still very real and deeply traumatic. I see the greatest opportunity for change to occur being when kids are very young — perhaps in the first and second grades
— when behavioral patterns can be affected. It is crucial for parents and teachers to have conversations about digital citizenship with children as soon as they start school.
Today, when I speak to parents and educators, I urge them to recognize that social media is not going anywhere, and stopping your child from using social media is not the answer. My parents did not allow me to use social media in middle school, so I made secret accounts. (Once again, social media is social currency for young people.)
Parents and educators have the space and opportunity to have conversations with kids about social media, their behavior on it, and the pros and cons of a digital footprint. Instead of being divided by technology, be on their side and show them you care, and they will reward you by being honest with you.
Read my thoughts about the report here.
We really need to take a look at the world in which we live with a critical and curious lens and interrupt the current fear narrative so we can actually engage in conversations and create real-world, contextual lessons around the issues around which social media touches.