Key points:
The school was run around the ‘3Rs’ of reading, writing, and arithmetic. And while this is still the foundation of education, there is now a fourth pillar of knowledge that school districts must impart to students: how to navigate today's connected and digitally enabled world.
Unfortunately, as a society, we are on the verge of failing the most vulnerable members of our communities: our children.
Our schools and communities need to increase conversations about student well-being and understand that the mental health crisis in children is deepening. Consider these grim statistics:
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death among high school youth ages 14 to 18. In 2021, the suicide rate for this age group was 9.0 per 100,000 population, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
- In 2020, approximately 105,000 youth ages 14 to 18 visited emergency rooms for self-inflicted injuries (CDC).
- In 2019, the number of emergency room or inpatient visits due to suicidal thoughts among children ages 6 to 12 was 5,485, a 115% increase from 2016 (Children's Hospital Association).
- In 2019, one in five students (20.2%) reported being bullied (National Center for Education Statistics).
- Between 2017 and 2022, the amount of money young adults lost to fraud increased by more than 2,000% compared to 805% for older adults, and scams include social media influencers, online gaming, and sextortion (Social Catfish).
Data is being processed in recent years. But as an educator with 24 years of experience in a school district of over 13,000 students, the hard truth is that things are not getting better as we navigate the pandemic. It's getting worse.
double-edged sword technique
The global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated technology adoption in K-12 schools, with most all districts deploying a 1:1 technology model where each student is provided with a personal learning device. The new digital classroom has opened the door to vast amounts of information and learning.
Additionally, the dangers of the digital world are posed to children who lack the coping skills developed through life experiences.
“In the old days,” as children, our lives were structured in the context of family, friends, neighbors, and villages. Remember how we learned not to talk to strangers and never get in a car with strangers?
Now I'm sure almost everyone reading this has used an app to call a stranger and arrange a ride. The world has changed rapidly, and our children are not immune to this. Today's connected devices provide the world with a contextual context for our children.
For example, bullying was a somewhat isolated situation. A bully or two might roam the school hallways, cafeteria, and common room, but the bullying tended to end after school. In today's 24x7x365 connected environment, bullying doesn't stop. And it's not just one or two thugs. Rather, bullying is exponentially magnified by the Internet. and adults‘Dogpiling’ appears in the comments section of social posts.
By the end of 2023, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America reported that anxiety disorders were the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting more than 40 million adults, or 19.1% of the population. They are adults struggling to cope in today's world where we are bombarded with digital content 24 hours a day. And much of it is misinformation.
Now imagine placing that heavy burden on the shoulders of an 11-year-old fifth grader. Even with life experience, adults struggle to cope, and many don't know where to turn. How are we helping our most vulnerable children?
When it comes to children's safety, you probably tend to only think of horrific, tragic events like school shootings. But our problem is deeper and broader than that.
It takes a village
Protecting and educating our children is not just a school issue, it is a societal issue. This starts at home with parents and guardians and extends to schools, communities and governments.
First, we should not be afraid to discuss issues. It is no longer acceptable to be naive enough to think that declining mental health is unimportant, unimportant or a problem for other communities.
Second, parents and guardians must be involved and aware of their children's needs and well-being. Being a child today is certainly different from being a child a generation ago. Parents need to quickly understand that it varies greatly.
Third, schools must work more closely with parents. Monthly tech meetings with parents are emerging as new best practices for exposing and educating parents about the digital world their children live in. Even the best parents have a hard time keeping up with the constant advancements in the digital environment. Your school's IT specialist can help.
Schools must also continue to integrate lessons into their curriculum that help students understand the wide range of hazards and risks and provide them with a variety of ways to seek help and support. It's okay to not be okay. We need to get rid of the fear of asking for help.
Additionally, as technology proliferates and the mental health crisis deepens, schools must monitor online activity for signs of concern. Student safety and wellness technologies exist, and schools must overcome concerns about resources, workload, accountability, and “what ifs.” Failure to do so is equivalent to neglecting and neglecting your duty of care.
Finally, a coalition of school administrators, parents, guardians, and students must pressure local, state, and federal governments to take responsibility and take action to create programs that promote positive mental health. When mental health issues cause problems, we tend to take reactive action. It's a thing of the past because I took a more proactive stance.
move forward
Coping with today's digital world can be difficult. In fact, as the parent of a 13-year-old and a 7-year-old, I sometimes fear what might happen within the walls of my home.
As adults, we struggle to make sense of everything we see and hear. But we must remember that our children see and hear the same things, and maybe even more so without the somewhat repetitive job activities. The result is an unprecedented and almost unimaginable burden that they have never expected to bear without help. Together we must change it. The good news is that we can!