Peace Region students, parents learn perspectives of social media

“What parents are typically teaching their kids about the negativity or all of the data issues online isn’t what kids are experiencing. Instead, they’re using it to connect with their friends and do cool things,” Whitbread told EverythingGP.

“So, I think the biggest takeaway for adults is that social media isn’t all that bad from a kid’s perspective and we should stop teaching them about the negative things and start really promoting the positive things.”

He adds young people can feel both powerful and safe on social media.

“We have the ability now to promote self-esteem, self-confidence, and real emotional development, in real life certainly, but also online,” Whitbread added.

“The more we ignore the online behaviours, and even the online opportunities available to kids, the more we are letting our kids down in something that is not going anywhere.”

Whitbread says a lot of parents think kids and adults use social media in the same way, but the opposite is actually the case.

“Parents are the ones promoting or even celebrifying their kids online by talking about their life experiences or even telling us when their birthday is,” he said.

“Kids are actually using the social media devices in a private way. They’re using it more as a text service. Direct messages through Instagram or Snapchat are sent individually or to small groups of people they know.”

He adds the idea of their presentations at local schools this week is to teach parents to learn from their kids and for adults to learn about why and how their kids are using social media.

Whitbread says conversations around social media are similar in all parts of Alberta. One difference is that internet service in rural communities means that some areas have access to apps sooner than other areas.

“For example, we noticed in Eaglesham that Snapchat and a gaming social media platform called Discord haven’t totally taken over in the younger ages as they have in the more populated central Alberta or city regions,” he said.

“It’ll come and it is coming. It’s not that it doesn’t exist, it’s just not as popular yet in the northern communities that we’ve noticed so far in our very small sample size.”

Whitbred adds he wants any adult who can influence kids to understand that while there is a lot of negativity online, the only way to have a better conversation around kids using the internet is to talk about the positives.

“There are so many incredible stories about kids who are getting scholarships, gaining opportunities, earning roles in passionate areas of their life, and they are using the internet or these social platforms to get there. But the only way our children are going to get there is with adult support.”

Whitbread is originally from the Peace Country. He grew up in Dawson Creek was an announcer in local radio in Grande Prairie for several years before moving to central Alberta.

Whitbread says the Hythe presentation is for the school only, but the Rycroft session is open to any parents and kids who want to come. It starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Rycroft School. COVID protocols will be in place.

More on kids and social media can be found here.

by Curtis Galbraith

Peace Region students, parents learn perspectives of social media

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