Cyber Safety and Social Media
Dr. Ean, School Counsellor
Do you use any of these?
Cyber Safety
Screen Time
Which devices?
For how long?
Cyber Safety
Research on Screen Time
Smartphone use rates average 2 hours and 35 minutes per day in the US, and 2 hours and 7 minutes in Canada, and 3 hours and 5 minutes in China.
(Graham, 2018)
Over 50% of teenagers feel upset, anxious, or lonely without their phone. (Twenge et al., 2022)
Think about this.
If you could not use your phone after school today, how would you feel?
Cyber Safety
Where is your phone right now?
(Skenazy & Haidt, 2024)
Research on Screen Time
Teenagers’ feelings of anxiety, anger, and isolation go away quickly if:
Do you feel upset, anxious, or lonely?
Cyber Safety
Screens vs. Socializing
A lack of such interaction has the opposite effect.
Too much time texting, using apps or the internet, playing electronic games, or on social media leads to feelings of unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
(Kerai et al. , 2022; Twenge et al., 2018, 2022)
Cyber Safety
How much is too much?
Moderate use means a maximum of:
Children under five years of age: Zero
(Ferguson, 2017; Scherger, 2023)
Children aged 5 to 12 years: One hour per day
Children aged 12 and above: Two hours per day
Moderate use use carries no risk – as long as the content is safe.
(Ferguson, 2017)
These limits are for ‘independent’ screentime.
Cyber Safety
Most ‘independent’ screentime is spent on social media.
(Priftis & Panagiotakos, 2023)
Cyber Safety
What are the dangers of Social Media?
Could be hacked.
Could be scammed.
Could be stalked.
Makes people violent.
AISB Year 5 Ospreys
Usually fake.
Cyber Safety
What are you doing on social media?
Gaming
Watching reels
Self-presentation
Chatting
Random searching
What’s wrong with that?
Cyber Safety
What’s wrong with that?
Low self-esteem
Depression
Attention deficit
Narcissism
Low Empathy
(Svensson et al.,2022)
Time-suck
(Svensson et al.,2022)
Cyber Safety
Anonymity
Hiding behind the “wall” of a phone or other device can lead people to saying things they would never say in person.
Social media also make it possible for predators to be anonymous.
And it’s easy for creators of Unsafe Content to find victims. (Kim et al., 2023)
Cyber Safety
How can I protect myself?
Follow safe limits for usage.
Allow your parents to look at your phone / device randomly.
Give your parents the password to your phone / device.
*
Don’t use your phone / device one hour before bed.
Don’t have your phone / device in the room where you sleep.
Be very, very careful about friend requests.
References
Aalbers, G., McNally, R., Heeren, A., DeWit, S., & Fried, E. (2018). Social media and depression symptoms: A network perspective. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1-9.
Ferguson, C. (2017). Everything in moderation: moderate use of screens unassociated with child behavior problems. Psychiatric Quarterly, 88, 797-805.
Graham, L. (2018). Is fear of missing out instrumental in understanding health outcomes related to social media use? American Journal of Medical Research, 5(1), 67-72.
Haidt, J., (2024). The Anxious Generation. New York: Penguin Random House.
Jiang, J. (2018). How teens and parents navigate screen time and device distractions. Pew Research Center (online).
Kerai, S., Almas, A., & Guhn, M. (2022). Screen time and developmental health: results from an early childhood study in Canada. BMC Public Health, 22, 310.
Kim, M., Ellithorpe, M., & Burt, S. (2023) Anonymity and its role in digital aggression. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 72, 856.
Notara V, Vagka E, Gnardellis C, & Lagiou A. (2021). The Emerging Phenomenon of Nomophobia in Young Adults. Addiction & Health, 13(2), 120-136.
Priftis, N., Panagiotakos, D. (2023). Screen time and its health consequences in children and adolescents. Pub Med Central, 10 (10), 1-17.
Scherger, S. (2023). Six tips to reduce children’s screentime. Speaking of Health - Mayo Clinic Health System (online).
Sehmer, E. (2025). The Guardian (online - 22/01)
Skenazy, L., & Haidt, J. (2024). Journalist Sends Kids off on a Smartphone-Free Camping Trip – Unsupervised. Adults Quake. Kids Flourish. After Babel (online).
Svensson, R., Johnson, B., & Olsson. A. (2022) Does gender matter? The association between different digital media activities and adolescent well-being. BMC Public Health. 22(1), 1-10.
Tsang, S., Cheing, G., Lam, A., Siu, A., Pang, P., Yip, K., Chan, J., & Jensen, M. (2023). Excessive use of electronic devices among children and adolescents is associated with musculoskeletal symptoms, visual symptoms, psychosocial health, and quality of life. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1-9.
Twenge, J., Haidt, J., Lozano, J., & Cummins, K. (2022). Specification curve analysis shows social media use is linked to poor mental health. Acta Psychologica (224), 1-11.
Twenge, J., Martin, G., & Campbell, K. (2018). Decreases in psychological well-being among American adolescents after 2012 and links to screen time during the rise of smartphone technology. Emotion, 18(6), 765-780.