Technology & Student Wellness: How Tech, SEL, and Mental Health Are Now Linked
Technology Counts 2024
March 25, 2024
The intersection of technology and social and emotional issues for kids is getting much busier. Students are now using social media sites like TikTok to diagnose themselves with anxiety and other mental health challenges. Counselors and teachers see more kids spend countless hours on social media—and then hear them complain they feel exhausted and lonely. And there are rising concerns that AI could fuel youth tech addiction and cyberbullying.
But technology, when used appropriately, can improve students' well-being. It can help students strengthen existing relationships, connect with a wider variety of people and perspectives, and destigmatize mental health challenges.
This special report examines how schools are trying to put student wellness front and center in a digital world.
But technology, when used appropriately, can improve students' well-being. It can help students strengthen existing relationships, connect with a wider variety of people and perspectives, and destigmatize mental health challenges.
This special report examines how schools are trying to put student wellness front and center in a digital world.
- Classroom Technology From Our Research Center Most Teens Think AI Won't Hurt Their Mental Health. Teachers DisagreeTeens and educators have wildly different perspectives on what AI will mean for young people’s mental health.Classroom Technology From Our Research Center Kids Turn to TikTok for Mental Health Diagnoses. What Should Schools Know?Nearly two-thirds of educators say students “sometimes” or “frequently” use social media to diagnose their own mental health conditions.Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Students Think Social Media Is Fine, But Teachers See a Mental Health MinefieldIt's important for adults to recognize and understand teens’ perspectives in order to teach healthy social media habits.Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Social Media Is Hurting Social-Emotional Skills. How 4 School Districts Are Fighting BackA majority of educators believe social media negatively impacts students’ social-emotional skills, an EdWeek Research Center survey found.Student Well-Being Q&A 'It Terrifies Me': Clinical Psychologist on Tech Overuse in the Age of AILisa Strohman has dedicated her career to connecting the dots between tech overuse/misuse and mental health problems.Student Well-Being Video A Clinical Psychologist Offers Tips on Healthy Tech Use for StudentsThere’s a disconnect between parents and schools over who should take ownership of students’ tech use.Classroom Technology Reports Technology and Student Well-Being: 10 ChartsThe EdWeek Research Center surveyed educators to learn about their views and experiences regarding the impact of technology on students.