Social Media and Cyberbullying

Source: Yahoo Images; Free to use and share; An image of a bulletin board with rainbow pushpins pinning logos of social media platforms matching the color of the logo.

Overview of the module

Social media platforms come with many positives, such as providing us a platform to connect with people worldwide and is a space that allows people to express themselves freely. Unfortunately, it also comes with its share of problems. In this module, students will learn more about how social media platforms can exacerbate the bullying crisis, and how social media usage can set unattainable expectations for young adults. Many studies reveal that these expectations can lead to increased mental health issues among young people. This module also provides insight on safe ways to use social media, and how to report users, should students see or experience cyberbullying. The purpose of this module is to make students aware of the dangers of social media usage, and how to safely navigate through these sites in the digital era.

What exactly will teachers find in this module?

Teachers will find many useful resources, including websites, videos, books, and lesson plans they can reference to help guide them through discussions about safe social media usage with students. These lessons and resources provide a framework for teachers to discuss complex topics with younger audiences, and they can either be paired with the other modules or explored as a stand-alone module. These lessons include reflections, discussions, hands-on activities, and listening strategies to dissect bullying on digital platforms. Some of these lessons are broken into separate sections. Each of these sections can be expanded to cover entire lessons, but they are more coherent grouped together than as separate lessons, so if these sections are updated to cover an entire lesson, it is recommended to explore all the sections in a series of lessons if possible.

*Note: It is highly recommended that teachers explore the internet safety module and the cyberbullying module to cover some of the basic concepts addressed in the lessons below.

Why is this module important?

This module is important because it allows students to recognize the harmful practices they see or experience on social media and familiarize themselves with the language and knowledge to report them. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young people are alarmingly increasing, and research indicates that social media usage is one of the major causes. This module allows students to explore phenomena like selfie-dysmorphia and the pressure to stay connected to express their thoughts and emotions in a safe space and empowers them with the necessary tools to address these phenomena in healthy ways.

How does this module connect to bullying?

Social media platforms allow people to express their thoughts anonymously, no matter how mean or hurtful those thoughts can be. Much of the cyberbullying that occurs online tends to happen on social media platforms.

Content

Additional Resources for Teachers

Note: many of these resources are separate from the ones listed under the materials for each lesson

Lesson Topics

Who’s On the Other Side?

Lesson Goals: Students will be able to understand the risks of interacting with anonymous users online, learn how to identify catfishing, recognize the dangers of being stalked on social media, and learn how to protect against identity theft on social media platforms. This lesson aims to be interactive, discussion-based, and a hands-on approach that is relevant to how students actually use social media.

Source: Yahoo Images free to use and share; An image that depicts the act of phishing for your personal information online.

Materials/Resources For the Lesson:

Lesson Structure:

  • Open: Reflection Journaling
    • Start by describing a relatable scenario that pertains to the lesson topic.
      • For example, “Someone from school has been messaging you on various social media platforms. They start liking all your posts, comment on all your photos, and have even started DMing you. At first, it was harmless, and you didn’t think anything of it, but now it has become more persistent, and it makes you feel uncomfortable. What would you do?”
      • Set a 5 minute timer, and allow students to reflect for a few minutes.
  • Body: Four Sections
    • Section 1: Anonymous User
      • Let’s briefly talk about anonymous users online. These are users that hide their identity online, and they may misrepresent themselves or have ill intentions with their interactions online. Students should be taught to not share personal information with anonymous users and warned against meeting these users in person.
      • Activity: Ethical Debate
        • Question: Is anonymity online a good or bad thing?
        • Split students into two groups and have them debate on either side of this question.
        • Use this article as a resource.
        • Students can be given copies of this article to reference for their debate. Alternatively, you may want to allow students to think through these benefits and risks for themselves.
    • Section 2: Catfishing
      • What is catfishing?
        • Catfishing is when someone pretends to be someone else online to deceive others. This happens often for romantic or emotional reasons.
      • Activity
        • https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCnWpQ_d4Y0xBHQZpEIdFcA (MTV Catfish Show YouTube Channel; Teachers are advised to check out the videos prior to the lesson and find appropriate clips to show)
        • Teachers can showcase some examples of catfishing stories. One that might interest the students is MTV’s “Catfish” show. Youtube has many clips of Catfish episodes to choose from.
          • As a class, analyze what deception tactics are used in the videos. Explore why catfishing is a problem, and ask students whether they have ever been catfished online before.
        • Once examples are shown, allow students to do reverse image searches on random profile pictures to determine whether they are fake or real.
        • Another exercise you can do with the students is to have students come up with catfishing scenarios, and as a class, identify the red flags together.
    • Section 3: Stalking on Social Media
      • https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/staying-safe/cyberstalking (Cyberstalking)
      • Explain what stalking is.
        • Stalking is a pattern of harassing behavior that makes someone fear for their safety. This can be accomplished in person, or online. Being stalked in person can be a scary experience, but being stalked online can be an equally dangerous thing. The online stalkers can use social media to monitor a user’s posts, activity, locations, and more. In some instances, online stalkers can even hack into your phone and have access to your personal files and documents.
      • Activity
        • Compile some real stalker messages or posts (without any identifying characteristics) and prepare them prior to the class. Show them to the students and have them analyze the messages. Discuss how to manage privacy settings and limit location sharing on their social media apps. Finally, walk them through reporting online stalkers.
      • Section 4: Identity Theft
        • Explain what identity theft is, and how it is illegal.
          • https://www.usa.gov/identity-theft (Identity theft)
          • Identity theft is when someone illegally uses another person’s personal information such as their social security, their credit card, their name, and other identifiers for their own personal gain (usually financial gain). Oversharing personal information on social media platforms and online in general can put you at risk of getting your identity stolen.
        • Activity
          • Show examples of accounts that overshare their information, and as a class, identify the problem areas in the examples where the user is sharing too many personal information online.
          • Split the students into small groups and have them go through their social media profiles and make sure they are not oversharing any personal data. They should also make sure their bios on social media pages are creative, engaging, but also secure.
          • Ask students to regroup as a class, and teach them how to report if their identity is stolen.
  • Close: Adding onto the reflection
    • Prompt: “knowing what you know now, would you change your response from before, or would you keep it the same?” Give students 5 minutes to reflect.
  • Note: If each of these sections are split up into separate lessons, perhaps have students make a meme on online safety or a video with key takeaways following each section’s lesson.
Social Media is a Drug

Lesson Goals: This lesson aims to teach students more about the addictive nature of social media and its impacts. They will analyze and research data on social media usage among the youth to find patterns. Students will also be able to reflect on their own social media usage and create healthy usage boundaries for themselves.

*Disclaimer: This lesson explores mature topics such as the causes of addiction and the signs & symptoms of addiction. Teachers are advised to take the necessary precautions and prepare for this class accordingly. As always, teachers are encouraged to tailor these lessons to cater to the needs of their students.

Source: Adobe Express Stock Images; An image of some people with smartphones in their hands

Materials/Resources for the Lesson:

Lesson Structure:

  • Open
    • Show a news clip or a short video highlighting the issue of social media addiction.
    • After showing the video, have students express their thoughts and feelings about the video.
      • Ask some guided questions:
        • “Do you feel addicted to technology?”
        • What are some of the signs of addiction?
        • Do you ever experience them when using technology?
        • Why do you use social media?
  • Body: Four Sections
    • Section 1: Background
    • Section 2: Research and Data Analysis
      • As a class, compare and contrast each student’s social media usage information (age, grade, time spent each day, time spent each week, apps used, etc.). No identifying information about students will be collected (so no names or other personal information). This information can be easily compiled using the screen time managing options on phones and other devices.
      • Compile this information together and analyze this data. Some ways this data can be analyzed:
        • Which apps were the most often used in the class?
        • What was the highest, the lowest, and average hours spent each day?
        • What about each week?
        • Are there other patterns you notice from the data, such as differences in usage among certain ages?
      • Guide students as they make easy graphs and charts of this information.
      • Once this data is collected as a class, divide students into groups, and have them analyze a research study or article on social media usage patterns among young people around the world. This can be assigned by the teacher, or students can be allowed to find them on their own.
        • Once they are finished, students will be asked to share their findings with the class.
      • As a class, discuss how the data collected and presented from the class compares/contrasts with the general patterns they read about.
        • Were there certain apps that are popular across the board with young people?
        • How does the class average compare with the averages they read/analyzed in the articles?
    • Section 3: Reflection on Personal Social Media Habits
      • Make a worksheet with some questions on it for students to answer. Below are some example questions:
        • How much time do you spend on social media daily? What apps do you use the most?
        • What motivates you to use social media?
        • How does using social media make you feel? Do you associate social media with positive or negative emotions or both? Explain.
        • Have you ever taken a break from social media? What was your experience like?
      • Those who want to can share their answers with the class.
    • Section 4: Healthy Social Media Usage Strategies
      • Explore with the class some healthy social media usage strategies.
        • What are some ways to limit the addictive power social media has over us?
        • Introduce the students to strategies such as setting time limits on apps, turning off notifications, and setting boundaries for mindful usage of their social media apps.
        • Encourage students to create a personal plan for their social media usage that they can incorporate into their daily routines.
        • Encourage students to implement their plans and have them keep track of their experience with daily reflections. Set a time frame for how long you want them to track it for (a week, a month, etc.). Students will then compare their initial reflections before this lesson to the set time frame and share their experiences in a class session.
          • Have their habits changed? If so, how? If not, why?
          • What did they do differently now that they weren’t doing before?
  • Close
    • As this is such a high energy lesson, have students list two to three things they took away from this lesson on an exit ticket. You can also ask guiding questions:
      • “what was your favorite part of our lesson today?”
      • “What surprised you the most?”
      • “what sort of changes will you make to your own life after learning what you did today?”
#NoFilters

Lesson Goals: This lesson is designed to teach students about unrealistic beauty standards on social media, help them understand what selfie dysmorphia is and how it impacts self-esteem. Students will also learn to identify the use of filters and edited images, and develop healthy self-image strategies while using social media.

Source: Yahoo Images; free to use and share; This image shows two faces of a young woman, one that is natural, and one that has been modified using filters.

Materials/Resources for the Lesson:

  • Computers/iPads/phones
  • Writing utensils, markers
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=najiOPaR37I (social media and body image)
    • Section 1: True or False Game
      • “True” and “False” signs for each student; this can be easily made with popsicle sticks glued to index cards
      • list of true and false statements to ask the class
    • Section 2: Reality vs. Social Media
      • A photo booth; can be a section of the classroom cleared off to have props and backgrounds. Materials for this activity depends on creativity
    • Section 3: Positive Social Media Wall
      • Large Post-ItsSmaller post-its
  • Close: Self-love Bingo
    • Create on large Poster, or print out self-love bingo cards

Lesson Structure:

  • Open: Ice Breaker
    • Have students find some images that they think are edited or use filters. With another classmate, have students analyze the images and talk about why they think these images are filtered or edited.
    • Alternatively, teachers can also show this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=najiOPaR37I show just the “kids and screen time” section) and lead a discussion with it.
  • Body: Four Sections
    • Section 1: True or False Game
      • Present some statements about beauty standards on social media. Have students vote “True” or “False” (by holding up “True” or “False” signs) for each statement. Discuss each statement after the vote (“why do you think this is true” or “let’s talk about why this is false” or “how does this statement make you feel”).
      • Some example statements are as follow:
        • “All images you come across on social media are 100% authentic and unedited” (FALSE)
        • “Many social media influencers edit their images, or use filters to make themselves appear polished or perfect.” (TRUE)
        • “Social media platforms portray unachievable beauty standards, and comparing yourself to edited/filtered images can negatively impact your self-esteem.” (TRUE)
        • “People look exactly how they portray themselves on social media in real life.” (FALSE)
        • “Selfie dysmorphia is when people become obsessed with looking perfect for selfies. This obsession can have harmful consequences.” (TRUE)
        • “Everyone you see on social media is always happy and living their best life in real life.” (FALSE)
    • Section 2: Reality vs. Social Media
      • This activity is designed to illustrate the difference between reality and images found on social media. Set up a “photo booth” for students along with props that they can use to take both realistic, and exaggerated images. Have students create both realistic, and unreal versions of their images. Once the activity is complete, discuss how this activity made the students feel.
      • Some examples of how this activity could be set up:
        • Change the lighting: use natural lighting for reality photos, and use ring lights or other illumination sources for exaggerated photos
        • Posing: have students interact organically, and take real-time images for the reality photos. Have students plan each others poses before snapping the image for the exaggerated photos
        • Background: use a classroom wall for the reality photos, and use a background (like a tropical scene poster) for the exaggerated photos
        • Props: use everyday items (backpacks, water bottles, pencils, etc.) for the reality photos, and use what seems to be luxurious items (like a stylish fake bag, super neat containers with aesthetically pleasing writing utensils, etc.) for the exaggerated photos.
        • Outfits: use every day casual wear for reality photos, and use trendy outfits or scarves over the normal clothes for the exaggerated photos
        • Food: just snap the food on the plate for the reality photos, and carefully decorate the plate to present the “Instagram worthy” food photos
        • These are just some examples. Feel free to come up with whatever other examples work well with your group of students.
    • Section 3: Positive Social Media Wall
      • The point of this activity is to have students recognize their own self-worth (as they are) and spread positive messages to boost their self-esteem. It is so students can accept themselves and love themselves, and not strive toward unrealistic beauty ideals or “perfection” on social media.
        • Hang a large Post-It on the wall. Give students some smaller post-its and have them write positive things about others on the post-its and stick them on the large post-it. (Please monitor carefully; find the necessary balance between privacy and accountability to maintain a safe space). These messages should be anonymous, so students can truly feel safe to express freely.
        • Choose some students to read out a few of the post-its to bring a positive energy across the classroom.
      • An alternative approach to this is activity is to hang up multiple large post-its around the classroom with themes for each section. Label each section with a theme heading. Some examples include:
        • A compliment chain: for students to leave compliments to each other
        • Gratitude: have students write what they are grateful for
        • Achievements: have students write about an accomplishment they are proud of
        • Acts of Kindness: have students write about an act of kindness they have accomplished
        • Positive Affirmations: have students write positive affirmations for themselves or others
        • Future Aspirations: students write their dreams and goals
        • Self-love messages: students write about what they like about themselves.
    • Section 4: Social Media in Real Life
      • This activity is an attempt to showcase how absurd certain social media trends would be if they were practiced in real life. This is to open a discussion with students about why these trends would be unhealthy in real life and to distinguish between what is real and what is fake.
      • Students will be asked to act out certain social media trends in real life. Allow students to come up with their own scenarios, but some examples to offer if they are confused are as follow:
        • Have students ask others to physically “like” everything they say or do. Students can do this with a thumbs-up and announcing “like” every time they want to “like” another student’s actions.
        • Have students provide constant updates for everything they do. “Walking to my seat. Sitting down. Signing into my computer/iPad.”
        • Act out emojis or GIFs physically to everything someone says. (cry out loud for the “crying out loud” emoji; etc.)
      • Once students have had a chance to act these scenarios out, have a discussion with them about how they felt during it.
        • What did they learn from the activity?
        • Will this change how they interact with each other on social media platforms? If yes, why? If no, why not?
        • Were most of the interactions during the activity positive or negative? Why do you think this is?
  • Close: Self-Love Bingo
    • End the class with a positive, fun-filled activity crafted to boost students’ self-esteem and self-love. Create and print out (or find online) self-love bingo cards for the class. A self-love bingo card is designed to promote mental wellness, self-care, and personal growth. The rules are the same as any bingo game. The spaces can be filled with self-love activities and any students that have completed those activities can claim the squares. The person to get bingo first and calls “BINGO” out wins. Have the students reflect on how each of these self-love activities have made them feel.
    • Some examples of statements to fill the bingo squares with are as follows. Choose from any of these, or come up with your own:
      • Write a gratitude list of things you are thankful for
      • Exercise regularly
      • Give yourself compliments and positive affirmations
      • Stay unplugged for an entire day
      • Visualize your goals and dreams on a vision board
      • Journal your thoughts and reflections
      • Find a hobby
      • Read a book you enjoy
      • Try something new: visit a new place, or try a new food, etc.
      • Try meditation
      • Keep your environment clean
      • Practice deep breathing
      • Create something artistic
      • Spend some time in nature: walk, hike, etc.
      • Volunteer in your community
      • Set some boundaries in your life
      • Pick some fresh flowers for yourself
    • Alternatively, instead of having individual bingo cards, you could create a self-love bingo card together as a class for you all to complete together, and see how long it would take for you all to get bingo. (You could compete with other classes).
Digital Trafficking Awareness

Lesson Goals: Students will learn about human trafficking, mainly what it is, the different types of trafficking, and some ways to guard against it. Then, students will explore digital trafficking and how to protect themselves online.

*Disclaimer: This is a more mature topic, so it is strongly advised to take care and necessary precautions during this lesson. Teachers are encouraged to tailor these lessons to fit the needs of their students.

Source: Adobe Express Stock Images; An image with multiple computer screens monitoring security footage.

Materials/Resources for the Lesson:

Lesson Structure:

  • Open:
    • Teachers should prepare a Kahoot with questions that enable them to gather information about how well your students are familiar with human trafficking and digital trafficking. This will help them determine how long they should spend on each topic. 
  • Body: Two Sections
    • Section 1: What is Human Trafficking?
      • Definitions: Video and discussion.
        • Show a short video about human trafficking. Ask the students to pay attention to the guided questions for a discussion after the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhbfGo7voB8 (Human Trafficking Basics)
        • Have guided questions available to show the students as they watch the video. Once the video is finished, ask them to reflect based on the guided questions. Examples include:
          • Who does trafficking target?
            • The youth, children, and adults; poor and unemployed; homeless; foster youth; LGBTQ+ members; people feeling lonely and alone; people on the move (due to war, climate change, violence, racial discrimination, natural disasters); women and girls;
          • What is human trafficking?
            • Involves a person with power, exploiting another person who is vulnerable. Traffickers force vulnerable people to participate in unwanted sex or labor for profit. Can cause physical or psychological harm to the victims. Can be caused by force, coercion or fraud.
          • Who are traffickers?
            • People who want to unethically control others and make profits off of them. They can be close family members, friends and acquaintances, strangers on the internet, or employers who promise good jobs and wages, and trap the victims once they have fallen prey to their fraud.
          • Why is trafficking bad?
            • It prevents us from exercising our freedoms and it demeans the value of human life.
          • What can be done about it?
            • Educate ourselves and others about human trafficking.
            • Pay attention to our surroundings.
            • Support legislations that protects people from being trafficked and punishes the traffickers.
            • Address some of the root causes that lead to vulnerabilities like poverty, climate change, systems of oppression, inequality, etc.
            • Support survivors and their healing.
            • See something say something. Contact the National Human Trafficking hotline.
      • Types of trafficking
        • Look over this US Department of State article on the different types of trafficking with the class. It is recommended that the teacher review this article and provide students a one to two line age-appropriate summary for each type of human trafficking. (Forced Labor, Bonded Labor, Debt Bondage, Involuntary Servitude Among Migrants, Involuntary Domestic Servitude, Forced Child Labor, Child Soldiers, Sex Trafficking and Prostitution, Children Exploited for Sex for commercial use and touristic purposes). Again, teachers are encouraged to tailor this lesson to the needs of their students.
        • This is a good time to allow students to ask questions and answer them together.
      • Stats and more info
    • Section 2: Explore Digital Trafficking
      • What is digital trafficking? (review from section 1 and introduce digital trafficking)
      • Dangers of digital trafficking
        • https://polarisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/A-Roadmap-for-Systems-and-Industries-to-Prevent-and-Disrupt-Human-Trafficking-Social-Media.pdf (scroll down to the social media portion)
        • Red Flag Activity: prepare some scenarios that you can propose to students in class, and ask them to identify which ones are “red flags” and should be avoided, and which scenarios are harmless. Students should be asked to explain why they identified certain scenarios are “red flags”. Make sure to add some normal, harmless scenarios as well. Some examples of “red flag” scenarios include:
          • Being offered a job or opportunity from a stranger through your messages or other communications routes without requiring any application process.
          • A request for personal information from someone online, whether it be a friend or a stranger. Personal information can include, but are not limited to, age, address, name, your school, questions about your parents or family and their whereabouts.
          • Someone you meet online ask you to keep your relationship with them a secret from your friends and family in the real world.
          • Persistent requests for photos of you, especially in indecent or embarrassing poses. (Don’t share pictures of yourself to strangers anyway).
          • Even (and especially) if they offer to pay you for the photos or shower you with gifts.
          • Someone who barely knows you starts getting obsessed with you.
          • Someone who is always trying to meet up with you in person at a private location.
          • Someone asks to talk to you on private messaging apps rather than on public forums and messaging platforms that are regulated and monitored.
          • An older person who is trying to connect with a younger person in a romantic or inappropriate way.
          • Someone online who offers to help your situation at home by advising you to run away and offering to help you make it happen.
          • Someone who is always trying to video chat with you and take pictures and videos of you.
      • How to identify if you or someone you know is a victim of digital trafficking
        • Why is digital trafficking so dangerous?
          • Digital trafficking can be especially dangerous because of its invisible nature. Most of the time, victims of digital trafficking experience trauma from within the confines of their homes, where they are thought to be the safest.
          • Traffickers have been able to use the internet as a way to advertise their victims online, and there is an online community of sellers and buyers who conduct their business digitally and anonymously. This can be harder to track and stop. Traffickers use private chatrooms to collect information on vulnerable, young users, and slowly gain their trust to divulge more personal information from them to exploit them further.
  • Close: Summary and Reflection
    • Ask students to summarize what they learned about human trafficking and digital trafficking. Teachers can pick on a few students to give these answers.
    • Ask thought provoking questions regarding these two concepts. Examples include:
      • “How do you think digital trafficking ties into cyberbullying?”
      • “What do you think are some psychological impacts digital trafficking can have on victims in comparison to traditional trafficking?”
      • “What do you think are some challenges we may see as we offer mental health support to victims of digital trafficking?”
      • “What role do you think gender plays in online trafficking situations?”
Let’s Talk Mental Health

Lesson Goals: This lesson is designed to teach students about how social media usage is linked to the increase of mental health issues among the younger generation. Students will learn about the growing rates of suicide among younger people and how to seek help, and they will receive resources to seek help.

*Disclaimer: This will be an intense lesson, with talks of the negative impacts of social media on our mental health. This will include topics like depression, self-harm, and other such heavy topics. Teachers are advised to take the necessary precautions and prepare accordingly for this lesson. As always, teachers are encouraged to tailor these lesson plans to the needs of their students.


Source: Adobe Express Stock Images; A silhouette of a young girl on her phone with colorful blocks resembling apps in the background.

Materials/Resources for the Lesson:

Lesson Structure

  • Open: Opening Poll
    • This poll is to get students thinking about their social media usage, and how the platforms make them feel.
    • Create a Kahoot poll with some questions for students to answer:
      • How many hours a day do you spend on social media?
        • a. 1-2 hours a day
        • b. 2-3 hours a day
        • c. 3-5 hours a day
        • d. More than 5 hours a day
      • What platforms do you use the most?
        • a. TikTok
        • b. Instagram
        • c. Pinterest
        • d. Youtube
        • e. Other
      • How often do you compare yourself to others while using social media?
        • a. Never: I’m fabulous just the way I am
        • b. Sometimes: some of those influences look so on point. I feel like I’m not doing enough
        • c. All the time: I never feel like I’m enough
        • d. I feel like there are such high, unachievable standards that are set on social media
      • Have you ever felt anxious or stressed out because of something you saw on social media?
        • a. Never
        • b. Once in a while
        • c. Very often
        • d. All the time
      • How often do you check your social media notifications through the day?
        • a. I have my notifications off
        • b. Every once in a while I’ll glance at them but most of my notifications are off. I only keep on the importance ones.
        • c. Regularly: I like to check my notifications often to see what is going on in the news, or with my friends.
        • d. All the time: I can’t live without my phone!
      • Would you say social media has a positive, or negative impact on your life?
        • a. Positive
        • b. Negative
        • c. Neither
        • d. Other
      • Have you ever unplugged from social media before? If so, for how long?
        • a. Never
        • b. Between a few hours to a day
        • c. More than a day
        • d. More than a week
  • Body: Two Sections
    • Section 1: Watch and Discuss
    • Section 2: Role-Playing Scenarios
      • Have students divided into small groups of 3. Give each group a scenario to work with. Have them role play these scenarios in front of the class and lead a mini discussion after each one is presented. Each of these scenarios are created to provide real-life examples for students to recognize and learn to address in their own lives. Following the role-play, each scenario has a question that the students will have to think about and respond to. Each student of the group has to respond to it from their character’s point of view. After their initial response, the class comes together to discuss.
        • Scenario 1
          • One student will play an influencer who is struggling to maintain a perfect image of themselves on social media
          • Another student will play the admirer of the influencer
          • Student 3 will showcase feelings of insecurity and inadequacy as they compare themselves to the influencer
          • Thought Provoking Questions: What are some observations and insights you can see from this scenario? How can this impact the mental health of each student involved (the influencer, the admirer, the insecure student)? What are some healthy ways to address these issues?
        • Scenario 2
          • One student is scrolling through their SM platform, unable to sleep.
          • Another student attempts to encourage better sleeping habits.
          • A parent is concerned about student 1’s sleeping habits and voices their opinion.
          • Thought Provoking Questions: What are some healthy habits that can be put in place to promote healthier sleeping habits, and decrease the time spent on social media apps? What happens when you deprive your body from getting enough sleep? How can this impact the rest of your day? What are other things in your life that can be impacted due to not getting enough sleep (bad mood, not feeling good, missing out on things because you’re too sleepy to participate, falling behind on your work, loss of energy, etc.)
        • Scenario 3
          • One student considers participating in a viral trend (for example, the snorting cinnamon trend or eating tide pods trend)
          • Student 2 is pressuring student 1 to participate in the dangerous trend
          • Student 3 is voicing concern over the dangerous trend, attempting to stop student 1 from taking part
          • Thought Provoking Questions: How does peer pressure impact our actions? How can the incentive of social clout impact our ability to reason and think critically? Why do young people participate in some viral trends even when they are aware of its dangers? What are some healthy ways to practice restraint?
        • Scenario 4
          • Student 1 is trying to take a week-long break from social media
          • Student 2 is encouraging this social media detox
          • Student 3 is trying to convince student 1 to stay on social media, for FOMO (fear of missing out).
          • Thought Provoking Questions: Why is it healthy to detox from social media every once in a while? Let’s unpack FOMO. What is it and why do we feel that way? What are some healthy boundaries we can set for ourselves to balance the FOMO while also practicing healthy social media usage habits?
        • Scenario 5
          • Student 1 presents themselves as a different person online from who they are in real life
          • Student 2 is the online friend of student 1 who only knows student 1 as they are presented online
          • Student 3 knows student 1 in real life, and is confused by their online persona
          • Thought Provoking Questions: What compels student 1 to present themselves differently online than in person? Why is it problematic to present yourself as someone else online (Deception and Trust)? How is this damaging to the person presenting themselves as someone they are not (self-image, self-esteem)? How does the actions of student 1 impact the relationship students two and three have with student 1?
      • Feel free to come up with other scenarios like this.
      • Once all the scenarios have been played out and discussed, as a class, go over some of the positive, healthy habits identified after each scenario, making a list of them together.
      • Provide resources and hotlines to helplines
        • This webpage from the American Psychological Association provides a list of resources and hotlines to contact for various issues. Go through this page with students to familiarize them with these tools and resources.
  • Close: Action Wall
    • Set up a large poster or post-it where students can write one action they will implement in their own lives to encourage healthy social media usage. Have them stick the small post-its onto the large post-it/poster on the Action Wall. These can be anonymous. Read out a few to the class and discuss.
Be An Upstander and Practice Safety First!

Lesson Goals: To educate students on promoting healthy habits during social media usage, and to show them how to report bullying on different social media platforms.

Source: Yahoo Images; free to use and share; an acronym, SMART, to make online safety practices easy to remember.

Materials/Resources for the Lesson:

Lesson Structure:

  • Open: Icebreaker
    • Ask students what their favorite social media platform is and why they like to use it
  • Body: Two Sections
    • Section 1: Promoting Healthy Social Media Habits
      • Have a discussion with the class about why it’s important to practice healthy social media habits. Talk about the negative impacts of too much social media usage, such as mental health concerns and unrealistic expectations of oneself.
      • Ask students to popcorn out examples of healthy social media usage. Some examples to include:
        • Keep your phone/screen away when you are doing schoolwork or homework
        • Set daily time limits on apps, and take digital breaks often
        • Fact-check information that you find on social media platforms before you share them on your page
        • Always think and read through what you’re about to post. Is this something you would feel comfortable saying or sharing in real life? If the answer is no, delete the post and don’t post it.
        • Use social media as a tool not a clutch. Use it as an inspiration rather than to compare yourself to unrealistic ideals.
        • When using social media, be intentional. Have a purpose for using social media rather than mindlessly scrolling through it
        • Spend quality time with friends and family in real life. Online friends may not be who they actually claim they are.
        • Regularly clear the clutter and fill your social media pages with positivity.
        • Avoid scrolling on social media platforms before bedtime. It can hurt your ability to rest.
        • Don’t hesitate to ask for help. If your social media usage is negatively impacting you, reach out to a mental health professional and seek help.
      • You can ask students to write down these habits on a poster and stick it on the wall in the classroom or even hang the posters in their rooms at home.
    • Section 2: Reporting Bullying on Different Social Media Platforms
      • Use an online polling such as Mentimeter or Kahoot to find out how much students know about cyberbullying. The purpose of this poll is to gauge how much your students know about cyberbullying already. Some example questions you can ask on there include:
        • What is cyberbullying?
        • How often have you or someone you know experienced cyberbullying in the past year?
        • Which social media platforms do you feel most at risk to be bullied on?
        • Where do you think teens should learn about online safety?
      • Lead a brief discussion on cyberbullying based on responses to the poll.
      • Walk students through how to report an instance of cyberbullying. https://bulliesout.com/need-support/young-people/cyber-bullying/report-bullying-abuse-social-media/ Provide a walkthrough example of reporting on a popular site such as Instagram or YouTube.
      • Divide students into small groups of 3-4. Provide instances of cyberbullying, and ask them to share with the class how they would report the cyberbullying incident on each of the site. Each group gets 2-3 platforms that they would report their cyberbullying scenario on. They will present to the class.
        • https://cyberbullying.org/report (A website with all the details on how to report cyberbullying on each platform)
        • Some popular platforms to include are Zoom, YouTube, Xfinity, Xbox Live, World of Warcraft, Words with Friends, WhatsApp, Webkinz, Vimeo, X/Twitter, Twitch.tv, Tumblr, TikTok, Telegram, Super Smash Bros, Steam, Snapchat, Roblox, Reddit, PlayStation, Pubg, Pinterest, Omegle, MyLOL, Minecraft, Meta, Instagram, IMVU, GroupMe, Google, Fortnite, Facebook, Discord, and more.
      • Here are some example scenarios. Feel free to come up with your own as well:
        • Student 1 creates a fake profile using information of student 2 and then posts hurtful, and embarrassing comments about others.
        • You receive hurtful and threatening messages in class from someone because you will not let them copy your work
        • Your friend posts a picture of you without your permission, and you ask them to take it down, but they will not.
        • You are playing online games with your friends, and you receive awful, hurtful messages from them.
        • You find out that there is a group chat going around with embarrassing rumors being spread about you but you are not on the group chat.
      • After being assigned a scenario as a group, the students in each group should identify who the victim is, who the bully is, discuss the long-term impacts of this situation, brainstorm how they would respond to the situation, and explore how they would report the situation on each of the assigned apps for the group. As they present this to their class, they would also explore what bystanders can do in this situation.
      • Here is an example:
        • Scenario: Fake profile created using your information and hurtful, awful posts are being shared under your name.
        • Assigned platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter
        • Who is/are the victim(s)? Who is the bully?
          • The victim is you, since your identity is being stolen. The bully is the user operating the fake profile created using your information, pretending to be you.
        • What are the short-term and long-term impacts of this situation? Who does this impact?
          • The short-term impact of this scenario is that your social identity is being hijacked and manipulated by someone that is not you. This means that the user of the fake account can post made-up things about you and people may believe it to be true.
          • The long-term impact of this scenario is what this can potentially do to your mental health. It can also put you in danger, as people may harass and misbehave with you thinking that you are being rude to them online.
          • This impacts you the most, but it also impacts all those who interact with you in real life, influenced by the postings on the fake account.
        • How would your group respond to this situation if it happened to you?
        • There is no right answer to this. It is merely an opinion question. The teacher can guide students if they get stuck.
        • One way to address the issue in this scenario is to report this fake account immediately to an adult that can help you and to the platform it is created on. You have to flag the account as fake.
      • How would you report it on each platform you are assigned?
        • Facebook: Follow the guidelines to report
        • Instagram: Follow the guidelines to report
        • X/Twitter: Follow the guidelines to report
      • What should you do as a bystander if you see this happening to someone?
        • Say your friend, who knows this is happening to you, wants to help. She can also go report to an adult, and also report on the platform. This will help the platform identify the account, remove it, and prevent future postings from that account.
  • Close: Reflect and Discuss
    • Ask students to write down one thing they learned about reporting cyberbullying and one habit they want to implement in their lives for healthy social media usage on an exit ticket.
    • Tip: check back with them in a few days/a week and ask them if they have used the tip or seen any changes in their lives after implementing their one habit.

Published by

Kala Bhattar

Kala Bhattar has her BA in Political Science with a double minor in International Studies and Human Rights at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She has worked with the Institute for Human Rights (IHR) at UAB since fall of 2021 as an intern blog writer and has also been working on some of the side projects conducted by the IHR. As a blog writer, she has written on topics of both domestic and international importance, such as issues of food insecurity and homelessness in the United States, but also has captured the broader struggles of people around the world, especially in her series on Environmental Justice. The IHR has been an important platform for Bhattar to spread awareness about contemporary issues and has introduced her and prepared her for many opportunities that have assisted her in pursuing her academic goals.

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