Social Media Use and the Youth Mental Health Crisis: Impacts on Family Law
Overview of the youth mental health crisis and impacts on divorcing families. Followed by our CPW September Social, 12:30pm - 4:00pm.
Social Media Use and the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Impacts on Family Law
In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General declared an emergency in youth mental health. A 2023 follow-up advisory specifically called attention to the harmful effects of social media on adolescent development. In 2024, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt published The Anxious Generation, providing an in-depth analysis of the causal link between social media and what he calls "The Great Re-Wiring of Childhood."
This training offers a comprehensive overview of the youth mental health crisis and the differential impacts of screen time on girls versus boys — and explores how these trends are reshaping families and our broader culture.
Finally, this training will address the family law implications of rising rates of youth self-harm and resist-refuse dynamics in divorcing families — an increasingly common challenge for Collaborative professionals.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe two recent trends related to youth mental health in the U.S.
2. Identify how unrestricted access to the internet harms children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development
3. Name four ways to mitigate the harm caused by unrestricted access to the internet
4. Describe how “resist-refuse” dynamics pose a risk to children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development
5. Name three limitations of parenting evaluations for families/youth in crisis.
6. Identify two ways that Collaborative Professionals could “triage” a family in crisis
Speakers
Dr. Jennifer Wheeler
Good to know
Highlights
- 3 hours
- In person
- Free parking
Refund Policy
Location
Ballard Elks Lodge
6411 Seaview Avenue Northwest
Seattle, WA 98107
How do you want to get there?
Agenda
Part 1: What we know about the “Youth Mental Health Crisis”
• Surgeon General’s Report (2021): Dramatic increase in youth suicide & self-harm • Surgeon General’s Report (2023): Role of technology & social media • The Anxious Generation (2024): “The Great Re-Wiring of Childhood” • Gendered differences in how girls and boys are targeted and harmed • Pivot from concerns about “screen time” to loss of “IRL” social experiences • A whole new concern: AI and the impact of “frictionless” relationships • What can we do? Four “norms” to roll back “phone-based” childhood
Break
Part 2: The Youth Mental Health Crisis & Impacts on Family Law
• Resist-Refuse Dynamics (RRD): An overview • RRD and risk to children’s development • RRD & Self-Harm/Suicidality • An “Urgent Care” model for families in crisis: Attorneys as “First Responders” • Limitations of Parenting Evaluations for Families/Youth in Crisis • Collaborative law and other alternative approaches to “triage” families in crisis • Addressing internet-enabled devices & social media use in parenting plans • Revisiting the four “norms” to roll back “phone-based” childhood