As you may remember from a previous post, I recently went abroad on a school trip and I noticed the students (mostly girls!) Instagramming and SnapChatting the whole trip. They would spend 10 minutes pouting on their phones trying to take the perfect selfie, asking their friends for approval before posting and even borrowing each other’s sunglasses and accessories to take pictures…! From an observer’s point of view I can see how it would be quite funny to watch, but as a teacher who cares about these kids, it was quite sad seeing them under so much pressure to feel they have to take the perfect pictures and portray themselves and their lives in a certain way.
Adolescence is hard enough without social media, let alone growing up in front of the scrutiny of the whole world! Although this topic is not in my curriculum, I see my role as a teacher as more than an “imparter of knowledge”: I want to talk to students about their lives and topics that affect their mental well-being. Enter the most awesome video ever, just watch:
I believe it’s important that our young people know that what they are looking at is often staged, or at best it's just the highlights of someone’s life – it’s not reality! They shouldn’t feel the need to compete, be envious or feel pressure to look / act perfectly, which sadly is the effect social media can have on people. The earlier they learn this the better!
What do you think about this topic, I’d love to read your comments below!