Youth Advocate Offers Calming Counterpoint in Social Media Debate
Writer, youth advocate, social media researcher, and Principia College alum Anne Collier (C’77) visited campus in mid-February, speaking to appreciative audiences of students and parents. Based on research statistics and her extensive knowledge of the sector, Collier cautioned against “buying into the fear, negativity, and drama around the issue of kids and social media.” While there are many instances of misuse and abuse of social media among young people, her work and discussions with researchers around the world have shown that the positive uses and impacts of social media are far more numerous.
“Just as in offline life, most kids are good online and on phones,” she told us in an interview. “Sure, they make mistakes, have arguments, and act out in these very public spaces—but these things are going on in everyday life with all of us. Our kids need guidance and support in the digital parts of their lives just as much as in the offline parts.”
Collier established and runs NetFamilyNews and iCanHelpline (a social media helpline for schools) and has served on three national task forces on youth and Internet safety. She has also worked closely with Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society on a number of initiatives and is currently on the Safety Advisory Boards of Facebook, Twitter, Ask.fm, and Snapchat—in addition to her regular blogging and speaking schedule.
Noting that 75 percent of the world’s population is expected to have mobile phones by 2020, Collier commented, “These devices are powerful tools for social change—for learning and contributing—but we rarely hear about that in the news.” She noted that young people are peer mentoring, solving social problems, finding and pursuing passions and professions, getting feedback on their work, and learning how to lead and promote change by using these tools.
While Collier does not consider herself an “optimist,” she feels that social media users are “figuring out we can change” our usage for the better and enrich our lives. At the same time, she cautioned Upper and Middle School students to think carefully before posting to the Internet because “it affects people’s perceptions of you and your relationship with others.”
When addressing parents, Collier pointed out that a child’s offline life—“what’s going on in a child’s [thoughts] and home and school environment”—influences online usage and risk profiles more than a specific technology, app, or media channel. While external safeguards (such as filtering and monitoring software) have their uses, she stressed the importance of continuing to help foster the “internal safeguards . . . resilience, empathy, social skills, the Golden Rule.”