7 Ways Social Media Can Fuel Your Health, Happiness and Success

With nearly 95% of teens having access to a digital device, there’s no surprise that for students, social media is being social. Because of this reality, The Social Institute is on a mission to fuel students’ health, happiness, and future success by navigating their social world – both online and offline – in positive ways.

 

Founded by Laura Tierney, a social media expert who previously worked on social media campaigns for espnW, Nike, Disney, P&G, and Duke Men’s Basketball, our unique, positive approach empowers and equips students around the world with the skills to make high-character choices on social media.

 

At the heart of The Social Institute’s approach are the Seven Social Standards that, when lived up to, fuel student health, happiness, and future success. But these standards aren’t just for students! Anyone can implement them into their lives to navigate social media and technology in positive and high-character ways.

 

What are the 7 Social Standards?

Standards are a little different than rules as they are ways of living, not just ways to behave. The Seven Social Standards go beyond mere guidelines; they provide a comprehensive approach to living. These standards encompass principles and values that when incorporated into our daily lives, empower us to make high-character decisions while navigating our social worlds. Discover how you can incorporate these standards into your life to ensure you’re making healthy choices as you navigate your own social world.

 

1. Play To Your Core: When we play to our core we reflect our values, character, and interests in our actions online. By identifying our core values, ensuring the apps and influencers we follow resonate with these values, and using social media to pursue our goals, we can create an authentic and purposeful online presence. LifeBrand is a great example of a brand empowering us to play to our core values online. Through their social media detection and AI software, they scan social media history that can be potentially damaging to one’s future. Check out more here. 

• • TSI Tip: Regularly review your social media accounts to make sure that what you post online reflects your core values.  

 

2. Protect Your Privacy Like You’re Famous: Did you know that 92% of children in the U.S. have an online identity before turning 2? This means staying in control of our personal information has never been more important. We can do this by changing our passwords often, not sharing personal information online, and examining how apps use our data. Discover the laws and guidelines schools can follow to protect student privacy in our recent playbook.

• • TSI Tip: Review your privacy settings on social media platforms and limit the personal information you share publicly! 

 

3. Strike a Balance: From connecting with friends to expressing ourselves creatively and keeping up with current events, social media and tech are powerful tools in our day-to-day lives. This makes balancing our time and attention on tech challenging at times. We can practice striking a balance by setting screen time limits, valuing real-time moments, and recognizing the science behind screen time. 

• • TSI Tip to strike a balance: Designate specific times for uninterrupted study time or work without any digital distractions! 

 

4. Cyberback: In today’s world, screens make it easier than ever to type something without thinking about how it makes others feel. In fact, 60% of students nationwide report seeing cyberbullying. To combat cyberbullying, we encourage cyberbacking, which means having each others’ backs and supporting each other online. You can do this by celebrating friends’ positive moves online, calling out posts that cross the line, and reporting accounts that post inappropriate content. Check out this past webinar with Award-Winning Journalist, Sarah Spain, to find out how you can squash cyberbullying. 

• • TSI Tip to cyberback: Stand up against cyberbullying by responding with positivity and reporting any instances of harmful behavior online.

 

5. Find Your Influencers: Who we surround ourselves with can often impact how we feel. Finding your influencers means surrounding yourself with positive and credible influences to create a healthier and more positive online culture. But social media isn’t just for students; it’s a platform for everyone to connect, learn, share, and inspire. Find out how educators are setting positive examples and becoming influencers in the classroom. 

• • TSI Tip: Curate your social media feed by following accounts that inspire, educate, and promote positivity!

 

6. Use Your Mic for Good: Social media is a powerful tool that reaches millions of people around the world. When used for good, it can be a microphone to create meaningful change. Here at The Social Institute, we believe that students have the most important voices of all when it comes to social media and technology. Find out how one student is using his mic for good to help others. 

• • TSI Tip: Use your social media presence to raise awareness about causes or issues that matter to you.

 

7. Handle the Pressure: From FOMO to increased levels of stress, we all face pressure in our daily lives, both online and offline. In fact, 45% of Gen Z believe that there is too much pressure to be perfect online. Handle the pressures in your own life by finding your own path no matter the pressure from others. This means understanding how your mind and body respond to stress and building habits that promote high performance under pressure.

• • TSI Tip: Remember that what you see on social media is a highlight reel of people’s lives and you can adjust your feed to avoid negative social comparisons.

 

TSI’s Take

Social media is here to stay, making these tools for navigating our social worlds in high-character ways essential. By huddling together with peers and committing to The Social Institute’s Seven Social Standards we can make social media and tech a positive place. 

 

For more information on how The Social Institute empowers students to navigate social media and technology in high-character ways, contact us today.

Always stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest trends online by subscribing to The Social Institute’s newsletter where they talk about trending tech and social media news weekly! In the meantime, check their Instagram and TikTok @thesocialinst for tips, trends, and highlights when it comes to social media.