Welcome back to the Phase blog! In August, we discussed the UN’s 'International Youth Day'. This week, Thursday 19th September was stem4’s 'Youth Mental Health Day'. Both events shared a focus on the impacts of technology on young people. While last month’s theme celebrated the potential positive impact of technology on global sustainability, this month, stem4’s message is bringing our attention back to the possible negative consequences of young people’s (over)use of technology.   

The theme of this year’s Youth Mental Health Day is #controlyourscroll. 

We know that technology can be hugely beneficial for young people; it can bring connection, inspire creativity, power productivity and keep everyone entertained. However, does all this come at a cost? A recent stem4 survey showed that out of 1,025 young people, nine in ten (93%) said they had been scared by content online. Moreover, 59% were worried about disinformation, misinformation and fake news, 58% were concerned about online scams and fraud, 52% were anxious about online bullying and 39% were disturbed by the possible sharing of sexual images. What’s more, 58% said they would avoid using search engines or apps if they knew they had the potential to cause them harm.

All of this represents an increasing need to equip young people with awareness and tools to allow them to benefit from the power of technology without being harmed by it. At Phase, we’re teaching a rising number of digital wellbeing lessons in school. Moreover, as you’ll have heard in our most recent podcast’s ‘Spotlight Story’, some schools in Hitchin are deciding to go phone-free. Unfortunately, the dilemma of young people and technology isn’t going to go away anytime soon. There is hope though! As we learn more about the impacts of the digital age, positive change is possible. 

You can check out stem4’s #controlyourscroll resources here:

https://stem4.org.uk/youthmentalhealthday/

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