Social Media and Media Literacy

Tools for Caring Adults

Caring adults are uniquely positioned to equip themselves with practical tools and strategies for engaging in constructive conversations with young people about social media and media literacy. By incorporating activities that foster understanding, critical thinking, and responsible digital citizenship, particularly around cultivating healthy relationships, we all can play a crucial role in shaping safer, more informed, and technically secure communities.                                            

Create Safe Space -You don’t need to understand all the tech. Create space for youth to bring their online experiences into the discussion. It will be more relevant to them.

Talk About It - Talk about the curated nature of social media and have discussions about the differences in social media feeds and perspectives.

Reframe It - While there are justifiable concerns about the media's negative impact, it can also be an incredible tool for change. Recognizing misinformation and having boundaries is key.

Listening Sessions- Listen to music they enjoy! Reflect on the lyrics and messages in the song. Discuss the ways lyrics can reflect reality.

Scavenger Hunts - Challenge them to evaluate their own social media via an online scavenger hunt. Look for and identify signs of healthy vs unhealthy relationships and norms in their daily feed.

Critical Thinking - Encourage critical thinking to challenge unhealthy messages. Just like the lyrics in our favorite songs don’t always reflect healthy messages, the same is true for movies, TV, and influencers.

Social Networks- Ask about social networks and platforms that are currently being used.

Pair-and-Shares- Facilitate and initiate discussions about similar themes. Encourage youth to share with each other.

Creativity- Encourage the youth in your life to create their own content with healthier messages… using their own voice, in their own style!

Visit eleven-24.org or TechSafety.org for more information

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GK-05170-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/ exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.