A team of public and private sector officials created a playbook for dealing with the digital world that children are living in.Research shows how harmful being too online can be for mental health, so people created a set of strategies for kids, caregivers and educators to put into action.The Governor’s Office helped spearhead the effort.Research shared by Gov. Wes Moore’s office on Wednesday shows there are grim consequences for “doom scrolling” — when a kid is staring at clips and content on a screen.In the last 20 years, adolescent depression rates have nearly doubled in the U.S., and young people who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of developing depression and anxiety.So, officials created the Maryland Youth Digital Wellness Playbook. Child Mind Institute, an independent nonprofit, worked with Moore’s Office for Children on the project to help kids, caregivers and educators find research-based strategies for healthier digital engagement.Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller headlined the launch at the Ravens Boys and Girls Club in West Baltimore on Wednesday.”These are practical tools to give to parents, to educators, to coaches. Not just them, but for young people feeling these signs of loneliness and disconnect,” Miller said.The playbook has a considerable index, including universal support for all youth with a focus on mindfulness, reframing unhelpful thoughts and social media and gaming-driven compulsive behavior. It also looks at age- and gender-specific sections.”There were different challenges that young girls were facing, which were different from young boys. So, we really wanted to speak to those very specific skills that they needed to learn in order to really deal with those issues,” said Safiya Addison, with the Child Mind Institute.Officials created a playbook for teens and a separate one for students in elementary school.
BALTIMORE —
A team of public and private sector officials created a playbook for dealing with the digital world that children are living in.
Research shows how harmful being too online can be for mental health, so people created a set of strategies for kids, caregivers and educators to put into action.
The Governor’s Office helped spearhead the effort.
Research shared by Gov. Wes Moore’s office on Wednesday shows there are grim consequences for “doom scrolling” — when a kid is staring at clips and content on a screen.
In the last 20 years, adolescent depression rates have nearly doubled in the U.S., and young people who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of developing depression and anxiety.
So, officials created the Maryland Youth Digital Wellness Playbook. Child Mind Institute, an independent nonprofit, worked with Moore’s Office for Children on the project to help kids, caregivers and educators find research-based strategies for healthier digital engagement.
Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller headlined the launch at the Ravens Boys and Girls Club in West Baltimore on Wednesday.
“These are practical tools to give to parents, to educators, to coaches. Not just them, but for young people feeling these signs of loneliness and disconnect,” Miller said.
The playbook has a considerable index, including universal support for all youth with a focus on mindfulness, reframing unhelpful thoughts and social media and gaming-driven compulsive behavior. It also looks at age- and gender-specific sections.
“There were different challenges that young girls were facing, which were different from young boys. So, we really wanted to speak to those very specific skills that they needed to learn in order to really deal with those issues,” said Safiya Addison, with the Child Mind Institute.
Officials created a playbook for teens and a separate one for students in elementary school.