Common Sense Education, an arm of the nonprofit Common Sense Media that works to promote K-12 digital citizenship, said in a recent news release that a series of videos, which can be accessed at the Commonsense.org website, were co-produced by Common Sense and the radio station KQED in collaboration with personnel at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. This initiative was launched to coincide with the start of the 2023-2024 academic year.
In the news release, Common Sense Education said that as devices are deeply embedded in children's lives, there is a need to safeguard their well-being when they spend so much time online.
"Telling kids to get off screens ignores the underlying challenges," Kelly Mendoza, vice president of education programs at Common Sense Media, said in a public statement. "Schools play a crucial role in helping students learn the life skills that build better online habits. These new Digital Well-Being lessons will help educators empower middle and high schoolers to develop healthy boundaries, effective strategies and realistic practices in their tech use."
All of the videos are between 40 and 45 minutes long, with titles such as “My Values and Tech,” “Digital Media and Your Brain,” “Thinking Traps,” “Positive Tech Habits,” Design Tricks” and “Tech Habit Challenge.” The lessons explore how technology can impact behaviors and help students identify "tech-related stressors and pain points."
"We listened closely to students' stories and worries, and then tapped insights from evidence-based practices that can help with those very issues," Emily Weinstein, a researcher at Harvard University and co-founder of the university’s pending Center for Digital Thriving, said in a public statement. “The lesson on thinking traps, for example, helps build awareness about common thoughts like, 'Everyone I follow has more friends than me.' Our hope is to provide educators with resources that strengthen digital agency and well-being for their students."
This initiative follows several calls for action from federal agencies. In May, the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association called on policymakers to support K-12 media literacy, according to the release. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected students psychologically. The CDC analysis said more than a third of U.S. high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic, and 44 percent said they felt persistently sad or hopeless between 2020 and 2021. The report also said “school connectivity provided critical protection for students during COVID-19.”
For grades K-5, Common Sense Education recently launched the “Device Advice” series aimed at helping younger students develop healthy habits for using technology and online media. Those lessons are largely focused on basic device care (computers, tablets, phones) and how to avoid being distracted by online media. According to the release, Common Sense Education’s free digital citizenship programs have reached 1.1 million educators and 86,000 schools nationwide to date.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story said the videos were co-developed by personnel at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. In fact they were co-produced by Common Sense and KQED, based on material from the Center for Digital Thriving, which is at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
