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Raising Resilience

Join in a community conversation about raising healthy kids in the technology age

Kourtney Ferrua, D.Ed.

Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Link to slides →

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Welcome!

As we gather, consider whether you agree or disagree with the following statements:

“Schools should trust students to self-regulate technology use—micromanaging screens only undermines independence.”

“Filtering or blocking online content does more harm than good—it’s censorship and prevents students from learning to navigate the real world responsibly.”

“Teens thrive on social media connections—limiting access is more damaging to mental health than occasional online risks.”

“Social media is an essential outlet for students’ self-expression and community-building; any attempt to restrict it suffocates their emotional development.”

“Parents and educators blaming social media for mental health issues are ignoring deeper societal and family problems that truly drive student distress.”

Link to slides →

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How are norms around smoking in 2025 different than they were in 1985?

We can change social norms because we HAVE before.

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How this came to be…

We are here

Resilient Mac

Book Club

Community Leaders Meeting

Larger Community Engagement

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Goal for this Work

To foster a community conversation about raising healthy kids in the technology age and provide families, educators and community leaders with the tools they need to make strong decisions for the children in their lives.

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Guiding Principles

Our community is strong and wise
Collective actions make a big impact
Family decisions are unique to each family
Kids (and adults) do well if they can

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PLAN FOR OUR TIME

Overview of the current trends and wisdom from research on technology and influences on kids

LET’S LEARN

DISCUSS TOGETHER

BUILD IMPACT

Let’s talk about our insights as educators and what this may mean for our work

Let’s talk about bringing more people into the conversation

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Let’s learn

Click here for curated resources on this topic

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The Anxious Generation

CBS interview with Jonathan Haidt

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Review of Research from

Dr.Jennifer Linder, Ph.D. Linfield University

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What is resilience?

The ability to adapt effectively in the face of adversity

Resilience allows individuals to cope effectively with challenges, frustrations, failures, and setbacks that are an inevitable part of life

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What does healthy development look like?

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Youth and smartphones

Median = 237/day

43% of tweens (age 8-12)

88% to 95% of teens

~50% of children by age 11

Median = 51

Range = 2-498

Median = 4.5

9% > 10 hours/day

Ownership

Notifications

# of pick-ups

Hours/day

Radesky, J., et al., (2023). Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.

Sample = 203 U.S. preadolescents (ages 11 to 12)

and adolescents (ages 13 to 17)

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Youth and smartphones

social media (42%)

YouTube (19%)

Gaming (11%)

97% use during school

Median = 43 min

Range = 1 min-6.5 hrs

73% by age 17

31% in school (44% on school devices)

59% use at night

Median = 20 min

Range = 1 min-5 hrs

School use

Time usage

Pornography

School night use

Radesky, J., et al., (2023). Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.

Robb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.

Sample = 1,358 teens ages 13-17

Sample = 203 U.S. preadolescents (ages 11 to 12)

and adolescents (ages 13 to 17)

Midnight-5 AM

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General Concerns for Everyone

Instant reward and feedback
Ease of access to information
Addictive properties
Polarizing communities
Algorithms limit information
Preferred tasks all the time, reduction in boredom

Notifications fragment our attention
Reduce in person communication and involvement
Nutritional and medical misinformation
Risky behaviors

Violence
Gender stereotypes
Sexual objectification
Idealized images (e.g., physical appearance)
Pornography
Bullying

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In what ways does smartphone usage interfere with the development of foundational skills needed for healthy development and resilience?

Sleep

Exercise

Tolerance of negative emotions

Attention

Emotion regulation

Play

Self-worth

Social connections

Sense of belonging

Knowledge of healthy relationships

Delay of gratification

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Section 1:

Sleep, Exercise, Play & Attention

90% of youth do not get enough sleep
75% of children have a screen in their bedrooms
68% of teens in 2019 said they bring mobile devices to bed

(Scott & Woods, 2018)

Less exercise (Formby et al., 2021)
Less quality play (in toddlers and preschoolers)
Less sleep (Hysing et al., 2017)

Lower academic performance
Higher impulsivity
Lower growth mindset (belief that effort leads to success)
Lower performance on memory tasks

(Cain et al., 2016)

Social media use

Mental stimulation & worry

Poorer sleep

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Section 2: Tolerance of Negative Emotions, Emotional Regulation & Delayed Gratification

Boredom is unbearable, recent study shows kids would rather inflict electric shocks than be bored
Participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, would rather do something negative

(Wilson, et. al. 2014)

Use technology as an emotional regulation tool (e.g. sensory tool) which causes:

Lower grit
Lower persistence despite difficulty
Lower frustration tolerance

(Linder et al., 2024)

Instant reward and feedback
Negative impacts on academics with social media use include:

Lower frustration tolerance
Lower grades

(Linder et al., 2024)

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Section 3: Sense of Belonging, Social Connections, Self Worth, & Healthy Relationships

FOMO, fear of missing out and increased loneliness

(Bissell & Chou, 2024; Huang, 2022)

Self-harm & suicidal behaviors

(Chen et al., 2024)

Cyber-victimization

(Frederick et al., 2024)

High social comparison

(Fumagalli et al., 2024)

TikTok research with problematic use

lower life satisfaction
increased depressive symptoms
higher levels of anger and loneliness
risk of compulsive/obsessive use
increased body image concerns
self-esteem issues
rapid spreading of tic-like behaviors

(Conte et al., 2024)

70-80% of teens ages 13-17 who have viewed porn agreed they learned the following:

How to have sex
What type of partners I find attractive
Sexual behaviors interested in trying
About human bodies and anatomy

(73 studies)

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2023 review of social media use and health behaviors

Frequent (vs. infrequent) social media use associated with increased risk of:

Alcohol and drug use
Sexual risk behaviors
Antisocial behaviors
Gambling

Purba et al., 2023

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Benefits of Social Media Use

Youth with low-quality friendships show less depression if they make friends online (Selfhout et al, 2009)
Increases well-being of LGBTQ+ youth (Berger et al., 2022)

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Supportive F2F relationships with peers and adults

Talents

Faith/religiosity

Connections to community organizations

Parental monitoring

What can YOU contribute?

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Let’s Discuss

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Prompts for Discussion

The book says that today we overprotect children and adolescents in the real world and underprotect them in the virtual world. Do you see this happening? Where?
How do students’ online activities (outside your classroom) impact what happens inside your classroom?
Do smartphones influence the way parents are involved in your school/classroom and your teaching approach? If yes, how?
The book says that one problem with a phone-based childhood is that it replaces the hours children would otherwise spend playing in the real world: “Children are, in a sense, deprived of childhood.” Do you agree? What exactly are kids missing out on?
How can you give your students more opportunities to be part of the real world as opposed to the virtual one? In what ways could you encourage the parents of your students to do the same?
How would an increased sense of responsibility and independence benefit your students?

Find more conversation starters here.

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Share Insights

What were some highlights from your conversations?

What themes did you notice?

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Next Steps

Save the Dates!

Wed. Feb. 5th