Living Big on Social Media

Adolescents don’t recall a time before social media like older generations do. It’s just life, in the same way as a car or a phone is a staple the majority of us can’t live without. 

The adolescent’s developmental job is to seek connection with their peers. Important social events happen on social media for adolescents and it is a primary way they communicate; opening an app is like an adult turning on the news to see what’s happening in the world. It’s how they stay connected to peers and understand their social context for the day.

As support for our students, we advocate for healthy social media use so that students can learn how to use it responsibly while still living big lives. Social media is not inherently bad, and we must be careful not to be or seem judgmental of how students use it. Remember to incorporate the Live Big mindset here!

While it can be difficult to acknowledge, adults can also feel “stuck” online and use it to disconnect from the world (your emails count!) Healthy social media use is not just a challenge for adolescents; it’s a challenge for all of us. But adolescents in the midst of typical brain development have the double whammy less impulse control and more of their life taking place online. It’s a tough place to be. 

To help you build trust with students, we share stories of own social media use, and we encourage you to reflect on whether there are ways that you could embrace the healthier social media principles in your own life.

In our Living Big on Social Media module, success looks like your students connecting to themselves and developing awareness while using social media and navigating its challenges. The more we support them in that, the more empowered they’ll be to navigate their online world while living a big life.

In community,
Lex