Social Media

Distraction or learning tool? Learn more about how social media is used by students, teachers, and school systems
Teenage girl looking at smart phone
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Student Well-Being Q&A What Is Driving Youth Mental Health Problems? It's Not Just About Social Media
Focusing too much on one potential cause of the youth mental health crisis could backfire.
Arianna Prothero, November 29, 2023
3 min read
Girl on a swing shadow
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Student Well-Being What the Research Says What Educators Need to Know About the 'Epidemic of Loneliness' Among Students
Loneliness could hurt student learning and worsen mental health problems, experts say.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 10, 2023
5 min read
Illustration, concept art of teenager girl struggling with mental health pressures
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Student Well-Being The State of Girls’ Mental Health and Self-Confidence, in Charts
Girls are at greater risk than boys for mental health problems. Social media amplifies the challenges that have always been there.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 9, 2023
4 min read
The sun rises behind the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020.
The sun rises behind the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020.
Alex Brandon/AP
Law & Courts What the Supreme Court Had to Say About School Board Members Blocking Constituents
The justices take up a case involving school board members who blocked some constituents from posting comments on public social media pages.
Mark Walsh, October 31, 2023
7 min read
Image of a phone on the floor near the feet of a girl sitting on the floor.
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Law & Courts 41 States Sue Meta Over the Social Media Giant's Impact on Kids
States are suing Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, saying the social media giant harms children’s mental health.
Alyson Klein & Arianna Prothero, October 24, 2023
7 min read
The setting sun illuminates the Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 10, 2023.
The setting sun illuminates the Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 10, 2023.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Law & Courts School Board Members' Use of Social Media Faces Key First Amendment Test in Supreme Court
The justices will decide whether school board members engaged in government action when they blocked parents who posted repetitive comments.
Mark Walsh, October 24, 2023
9 min read
Teenage girl sitting on floor at school
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Student Well-Being From Our Research Center How Educators and Teens Disagree on What's Harming Students' Mental Health, in Charts
Educators blame social media and online bullying. But students say it has more to do with schoolwork.
Arianna Prothero, October 24, 2023
3 min read
Student Well-Being Spotlight Spotlight on Digital Well-Being for Teens
This Spotlight will help you examine efforts to limit kids’ social media access, how tech habits can alter brain development, and more.
October 16, 2023
Image of a person made of puzzle pieces with teen anxiety images: emerging self-identity, academic stress, cell phone and social media use, and covid isolation.
Laura Baker/Education Week and iStock/Getty, DigitalVision Vectors
Student Well-Being Why America Has a Youth Mental Health Crisis, and How Schools Can Help
Schools are on the front lines of what the U.S. Surgeon General has called “the defining public health crisis of our time.”
Matthew Stone, October 16, 2023
14 min read
The Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Sept. 25, 2023. The new term of the high court begins Oct. 2, 2023.
The Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Sept. 25, 2023. The new term of the high court begins Oct. 2, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts In New Term, Supreme Court Set to Tackle Case on School Board Members' Social Media Use
The docket for education cases looks more modest than last term, but cases on magnet schools and transgender students could be added.
Mark Walsh, September 28, 2023
11 min read
Group of diverse 8-10-year-olds sitting in a window sill looking at their cellphones.
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Classroom Technology Students Get Hundreds of Notifications on Their Phones Every Day. Even at School
Nearly a quarter of the cellphone notifications students receive each day come during school hours, new report shows.
Alyson Klein, September 26, 2023
2 min read
A teacher plays the guitar for students during the first day of hybrid instruction at Jason Lee Elementary School on April 1, 2021, in Portland, Ore.
A teacher plays the guitar for students during the first day of hybrid instruction at Jason Lee Elementary School on April 1, 2021, in Portland, Ore.
Tom McKenzie/AP Images for Portland Public Schools
Teaching Do Teachers Have to Be Entertainers? Here's What They Say
Teachers speak out about how they work to engage students, and the fine line between teaching and entertaining.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 30, 2023
5 min read
Conceptual image of hand holding phone with words overlaying it such as conspiracy theories, fake, and propaganda.
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Classroom Technology Teens Are 'Digital Natives,' But More Susceptible to Online Conspiracies Than Adults
Schools have their work cut out for them on students' digital literacy.
Arianna Prothero, August 24, 2023
6 min read
Brittany Hagan, an eighth year English-language arts teacher near Philadelphia, sets up her classroom each year to provide a calming environment for her middle school students.
Brittany Hagan, an eighth year English-language arts teacher near Philadelphia, sets up her classroom each year to provide a calming environment for her middle school students.
Courtesy of Brittany Hagan
Teaching Older Students Deserve Colorful Classrooms, Too
Three teachers share how they set up their classrooms to welcome, soothe, and engage their older students.
Caitlyn Meisner, August 15, 2023
6 min read