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Future Lab

Social Media and Mental Health

Unit 2, Lesson 5

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Define the Problem

Ideate Solutions

LESSON 5

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Objectives

Students will:

Analyze how social media impacts different groups, including teens, parents, educators, influencers, and policymakers.

Evaluate key issues such as misinformation, mental health struggles, and privacy concerns through research and discussion, then develop a focused problem statement that defines a specific social media challenge, its affected group, and the desired outcome.

Collaborate in a Jigsaw discussion, sharing knowledge, exploring diverse perspectives, and brainstorming potential solutions while considering feasibility, impact, and engagement.

Present a concise solution pitch that clearly articulates their problem and proposed solution, demonstrating their understanding and ability to apply their learning

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ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can we use research, empathy, and design thinking to define the root causes of social media challenges and develop innovative, equitable solutions that meet the needs of diverse communities?

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Objectives:

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Objectives:

Project Wall

Word Wall

New! Decision Making

New! Growth Mindset

Inquiry
Bias
Feasibility
Pitch

Skills for the Future

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Insights That Shape Solution

In your Student Portfolio, respond to the following:

What is one powerful insight your team uncovered in Lesson 4 about how social media impacts people?
What’s one question you still have or a perspective you feel is missing?
Based on this, what kind of change or improvement feels most urgent or important?
How might your insights influence the direction of your team’s solution?

Project Wall

In your student portfolio, respond to the following:

What is one powerful insight your team uncovered in Lesson 4 about how social media impacts people?

What’s one question you still have or a perspective you feel is missing?

Based on your answer to the previous question, what kind of change or improvement feels most urgent or important?

How might your insights influence the direction of your team’s solution?

Teacher Script: Welcome back! In our last lesson, you gathered real-world perspectives through surveys and media analysis. Now it’s time to step back and reflect. Before we jump into developing solutions, we need to process what we’ve learned and consider how it reshapes the way we define the problem. Research isn’t just about collecting data—it’s about finding meaning and identifying the root cause. Let’s begin today’s work by individually reflecting on what we’ve uncovered and how it might point us toward a solution that truly matters.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Quickwrite: Set a timer. Students get 2 minutes to respond to the prompts in the student portfolio.

Guiding Questions:

What is one powerful insight your team uncovered in Lesson 4 about how social media impacts people?
What’s one question you still have or a perspective you feel is missing?
Based on this, what kind of change or improvement feels most urgent or important?
How might your insights influence the direction of your team’s solution?

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Making Sense of Our Insights

What We Know	What We’re Still Wondering	What Needs to Change

Whole-Class Debrief (3 minutes): Invite a few students to share takeaways with the class. As students speak, chart their ideas on the whiteboard or digital board under categories such as:

“What We Know”
“What We’re Still Wondering”
“What Needs to Change”

Tip: Consider using a digital sticky note tool (e.g., ClickUp, Miro, or Padlet)[CC1] [BH2] for a visual record of responses that can carry into the next section. Whole-Class Debrief Template in the Teacher Resource Guide.

Teacher Script: You’ve already uncovered powerful stories and themes. These reflections show how social media affects people in complex ways. Now, let’s take a wider lens and explore how different groups—like teens, parents, educators, and policymakers—experience these challenges differently. This will help us define a clearer, more impactful problem to solve.

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Social Media’s Impact Jigsaw

Once you are in your Expert Group, begin work on your assigned resource.

Home Group

Expert Group 2

Expert Group 1

Expert Group 3

Expert Group 4

Expert Group 5

Jigsaw Discussion on Social Media’s Impact

Teacher Script: Social media doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Different groups face unique challenges, priorities, and consequences when engaging with these platforms. Today, we’ll use a Jigsaw activity to dig deeper into those diverse experiences. Each of you will become an “expert” on how social media affects one specific group. You’ll analyze short articles, infographics, or videos to understand their perspective, then return to your team to teach your peers what you learned. By the end of this activity, you’ll have a more complete and nuanced view of the problem—which is essential before you define what needs to change and how your solution can help. Let’s get started.

Introduce the Activity (3 minutes): Explain that students will be given a short article, an infographic, or assigned a video clip.

Students will begin class in their designated teams, known as their Home Group.
Assign each student a number within their team. Ensure the numbers correspond to the labeled tables in the room (e.g., if numbering 1-5, have five labeled tables).
Organize students into Expert Groups by having them move to the table that matches their assigned number.
Distribute articles, infographics, or assign video clips to each Expert Group.
Each Expert Group will receive one shared resource (articles, infographics, or video clips) to analyze together.
Example Video Clips (1-2 min each):
Misinformation: "How False News Spreads" (TED-Ed)
American Black Journal: The Effects of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health (PBS)
Example Readings (Very Short, Bullet-Pointed Summaries):
Teens, Screens, and Mental Health (WOH)
Online Harassment: "Fast Facts on Cyberbullying" (Pew Research Center)
Example Infographics:
"Misinformation on Social Media" (Statista)
"Social Media Brings Benefits and Risks to Teens” (APA)

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Summarize your findings using guiding questions like:

What is the problem?
Who is affected, and how?
What are some potential consequences?

Expert Group Work: Share and Synthesize

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Share your key takeaway with your Expert Group.
As a group, collaborate to write one or two concise summary points.
Post your final summary on a sticky note, whiteboard, or Padlet.

Expert Group Work: Wrap Up

Goal:

Capture the most important ideas to bring back to your Home Group!

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What Did You Learn? Tell Your Crew!

Head back to your Home Group.
Each Expert has 1 minute to share key insights.
Record one key fact from each teammate in your student portfolio.

Together, identify emerging themes:

What patterns did you notice across different topics?
How do these issues connect to our own experiences?
Which problems seem the most urgent to address?

What Did You Learn?

Tell Your Crew!

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A strong problem statement helps your team focus your research and guide your solution.

Use this formula to break it down: How might we [solve this problem] for [this group] in order to [achieve this goal]?

Example: How might we help teenagers recognize unrealistic beauty standards on social media in order to improve self-esteem?

Craft a Strong Problem Statement

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Break your problem down into three parts.

Solve This Problem: What’s the specific issue your team is working on?|�Be clear and focused so your solution stays on track.

For This Group

Who is most affected by this issue?
Are you focusing on teens, parents, teachers, or another group?
Who will benefit from your solution?

To Achieve This Goal: What’s the positive change you want to see? Think about real impact, like improving mental health, increasing privacy, or reducing harmful content.

From Problem To Purpose

Let’s break it down:

[Solve this problem]: This part should clearly state the issue you're focusing on. What exactly is the problem you are addressing? It needs to be specific enough so you can focus your efforts.
[This group]: Who is most affected by this problem? Are you focusing on teenagers, parents, educators, or another specific group? You need to think about who faces the consequences of this problem and who would benefit from your solution.
[Achieve this goal]: This part should describe what you hope to achieve by solving the problem. What positive impact do you want to see? It could be an improvement in mental health, more privacy protection, or any positive outcome that addresses the problem.

Team Discussion: Breaking it down

Draft at least two problem statements in your Student Portfolio.
Exchange statements with another group for critique.
Revise and finalize one strong problem statement and add it to their student portfolio.

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Exchange your team’s two problem statements with another team.
Revise and finalize one problem statement as a team.
Add it to your student portfolio.

Get Feedback, Get Focused

Swap and Strengthen

Share & Finalize Problem Statement

Team Discussion: Breaking it down

Draft at least two problem statements in your Student Portfolio.
Exchange statements with another group for critique.
Revise and finalize one strong problem statement and add it to their student portfolio.

Transition to Elaborate: “Now that your team has crafted a strong problem statement, you’ve taken a huge step forward—you’re not just talking about social media’s impact anymore, you’ve defined a real challenge that matters to real people. But defining a problem is only the beginning. The next step? Turning that understanding into action. Designers, engineers, and changemakers don’t wait for the perfect answer—they start generating possibilities. And they know that the best ideas don’t always come first—they come from curiosity, collaboration, and creative thinking. Let’s see what we can come up with together.”

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Generate five possible solutions and add your ideas to your student portfolio. Examples:

A browser extension that flags edited images.
A student-led workshop on digital well-being.
A TikTok challenge promoting real vs. edited images.

How to be Creative Under Pressure?

Idea Sprint: What Could Work?

Brainstorm Solutions

Teacher Script: Imagine you’ve just been hired by a nonprofit, a startup, or a policymaking team to tackle the very issue your team has defined. How would you make a difference? In this next phase, you’ll act like designers—brainstorming as many ideas as possible without judgment. This is your moment to think big, take risks, and imagine solutions that could truly help the group you’ve focused on. Whether it’s a workshop, a mobile app, a social media campaign, or something we haven’t seen before—your creativity is the spark that turns problems into possibilities. Let’s dive into solution design.

Play Video: Creativity Under Pressure: How to Generate Ideas Like a Pro (-- Minutes)

Rapid Brainstorming Solutions Activity (5 minutes):

Teams generate at least five possible solutions and add to their Student Portfolio. Think about examples such as:

A browser extension that flags edited images.
A student-led workshop on digital well-being.
A TikTok challenge promoting real vs. edited images.

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Feasibility: Can we realistically build or launch it?
Impact: Will it make a real difference for our audience?
Engagement: Will people actually use or connect with it?

Pick your final solution and record it in your student portfolio.

Not all ideas are created equal. Now, it’s time to decide which one is worth developing!

In your student portfolio, rank your top five solutions.�Use these questions to guide your thinking:

Rank and Choose Your Best Solution

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Pitch Your Idea in One Powerful Sentence

Share your solution with the class!

Use this prompt to frame your pitch: “We are creating [solution] to help [group] with [problem] so they can [goal].”

Example: “We are creating a browser extension that flags unrealistic images to help teens combat comparison culture so they can build healthier self-esteem online.”

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Respond to the prompts in your student portfolio.

What part of your pitch are you most proud of, and why?
What’s one piece of feedback (from your team or the class) that you want to explore further?
How could you improve or strengthen your solution before moving forward?
What next step does your team need to take to bring your idea closer to reality?

Reflect on Your Pitch

Exit Ticket: Pitch Reflection

Teacher Script: Next class, you’ll take the first step toward building your solution—by deciding how best to bring it to life. Will it be a campaign? A tool? A message? Get ready to explore the possibilities. But before we move forward, let's capture what you've learned from today's experience.

Student Portfolio Entry: Exit Reflection Prompts

What part of your pitch are you most proud of, and why?
What’s one piece of feedback (from your team or the class) that you want to explore further?
How could you improve or strengthen your solution before moving forward?
What next step does your team need to take to bring your idea closer to reality?

Closure: “Well done! You’ve gone through the process of identifying a problem, empathizing with those affected, and brainstorming solutions. Moving forward, think about how you can refine and implement these ideas in real-world settings.