ABOUT COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Community Connections is a lesson collection designed for adult learners and community colleges, with the goal of inspiring student civic action. This might be respectful debate or conversation about a local issue, planning a community event, or a creative project that helps connect local, national and global issues.
To use this lesson: First, watch the video and answer the questions below as a warm up. Next, choose one or more of the activities under "Take Action" that best fits your classroom. Or, use the segment above to inspire your own original classroom activities — the spirit of these lessons is to connect current events to actions that make your community a better place for everyone!
SUMMARY
The addictive nature of social media doesn't just have parents, lawmakers and advocates worried. Last year, more than half of U.S. teens said it would be difficult to give up social media, including TikTok and YouTube. The latest episode of our Student Reporting Labs series "Moments of Truth" tells the story of one teen who faced this dilemma head-on with Instagram.
For a transcript of this story, click here.
WARM UP QUESTIONS
- Who is the main focus of the story?
- What mental health challenges does Connor mention facing?
- Why did social media actually help Connor at first?
- When did Gus express concern about Connor's behavior? What triggered the concern?
- Where did Connor and Gus find a better space for their friendship than social media?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
How did social media impact Connor's mental health and what steps did he take to address the challenges he faced? Have you found moments where you felt like you needed to step back from social media use? If so, how did the break affect you?
Media literacy: Do you think students should control how much time they use on Social Media?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?
TAKE ACTION
Do you have anyone in your life that believes in conspiracy theories? What do you think is the best way to talk with them about believing in such theories after watching this story?
Practice talking to family and friends using these interview guidelines and interview each other in class. You might also use these oral history guidelines for a more in-depth project.
You can ask each other some of the following questions, and don't forget to follow up with questions of your own.
- Can you think of a time when you suddenly realized you were "too online"?
- Was there ever a time when a friend or family member seemed to be spending too much time online?
- What strategies do you have for pulling yourself away from social media?
Watch this video and answer the following question — How can young people use social media to create positive change?
This project was funded under the 2024 Leonore Annenberg Civic Mission of the Nation Initiative, sponsored by the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics. LAIC is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
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