Building teenagers’ resilience to what they encounter online is key to keeping them safe and thriving in the modern digital world, a psychology expert will tell the APS College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists Conference in Hobart today.
Dr Jodie Lodge, who has conducted a review of national and international research on the impact of the digital world on young people’s mental health, says shielding young people from online content is not the answer to keeping them safe.
“Shielding young people from online content can have the unintended negative consequence of undermining a teenager’s resilience and constructive engagement online,” she said. “It's also been found to increase the likelihood of repeated problematic online behaviour.”
Dr Lodge advises supporting teenagers to cope with whatever they encounter online. "We need to teach young people to recognise problems with issues such as bullying or grooming, and to feel confident in confiding in parents and trusted adults.”
“Young people need to be able to take age-appropriate risks online to learn how to navigate the digital world, with all of its challenges,” she said.
Dr Lodge’s research showed the average Australian teenager spends more than 40 hours a week using screen-based devices and is using five or more social media channels.
It also showed more than two hours of daily social media use is associated with poorer self-rating of mental health, higher levels of psychological distress and poorer sleep quality.
Dr Lodge said the more time young people spend online and the wider the range of social media use, the greater the likelihood that they will encounter risks to their wellbeing.
She said however it is not possible to stop social media being part of young people's lives. “Social media is key for young people to explore their identities during adolescence, so we want to help them build a balance around its use.”
Dr Lodge said parenting is a crucial factor in encouraging digital resilience in young people, and balancing restriction and supervision with engagement and communication are considered among the best approaches for parents.
“Parents should spend time exploring online with their children. They need to increase their own online knowledge and encourage their children to question the accuracy of the information found online.”
“We also need to educate kids through the school curriculum,” she said. “We need to be teaching young people how to protect themselves and others online, understand and deal with challenging content, balance their lives and build empathy and responsibility, both online and offline.”
Dr Lodge said some young people will need extra help to navigate the risks they encounter online, and should seek help from a mental health professional, especially if they are vulnerable because of existing psychological difficulties.
Key research findings:
- The average Australian teenager now spends more than 40 hours per week using screen-based devices, and is using 5 or more social media channels.
- The number of teens with a smartphone has more than doubled in the last 6 years.
- In Australia, 3 out of 4 young people take a smartphone to school.
- The pull of mobile devices is emerging as a new family conflict zone, with 1 in 5 parents and teens arguing about device use on a daily basis.
- In Australia, Cyberbullying is one of the most problematic areas for young people, with 1 in 5 young people now victims of online abuse.
- Young people are twice as likely to be bullied on Facebook than any other social network.
- Sexting behaviours (mainly sending nude or semi-nude photos), is also widespread, with almost half of our teens reporting having sent a sexual image or video.
- High social media use correlates with procrastination and poorer academic performance
- More than two hours of daily social media use is associated with a poorer self-rating of mental health, higher levels of psychological distress and poor sleep quality.
Dr Jodie Lodge will be discussing strategies for building teen digital resilience at the APS College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists Conference on 22 March in Hobart.
For more information, or to arrange an interview call the APS Media team on 03 8662 3358 / 0435 896 444, or email. Find the APS Media team on Twitter: @AustPsych
The APS is the largest professional organisation for psychologists in Australia, representing more than 27,000 members. The APS is committed to advancing psychology as a discipline and profession. It spreads the message that psychologists make a difference to people’s lives, through improving psychological knowledge and community wellbeing.