Digital Dilemmas: Navigating Social Media & Phone Use in School

Digital Dilemmas: Navigating Social Media & Phone Use in Schools

This workshop will examine the growing challenges posed by social media and mobile phone use in schools. We will review how screentime affects students' mental health, social skills, and academic success. The session will give school social workers tools to help students facing digital dependency, cyberbullying, and online safety issues. We will also discuss the social and emotional impacts of phone-free school policies and explore ways to support students and families in adapting to these changes.

Learning Outcomes:

· Participants will be able to identify the key social and emotional impacts of social media use on adolescent development.

· Participants will be able to identify at least two practical strategies for addressing the impacts of social media on students and school staff.

· Participants will be able to educate parents and students about digital wellness and safe social media habits.

3 Contact Hours Approved by NASW ME Provided

Robert Lucio, PhD, LCSW, has over 18 years of experience working directly with youth “at-risk” of adverse behavioral, academic, and mental health outcomes. Dr. Lucio has also consulted with local school districts to enhance social workers use of evidence informed interventions, advocacy, and has been actively involved school behavioral health. He is experienced at developing models of risk and protective factors in youth, provided trainings on advocacy, data informed decision making, and diversity, equity, and access.

Dr. Lucio has over 30 years of experience and research supporting youth facing heightened vulnerability to behavioral, academic, and mental health impacts. He consults with schools and districts to enhance the use of data-informed decision-making, evidence-informed interventions, advocacy, and school-based behavioral health. Findings of his work demonstrated that many of the same risk and protective factors have an impact across youth well-being, child development, and school settings, making the investigation of these factors crucial to the development and evaluation of interventions to support youth. Recently, he has published and presented on engaging in policy change through building the capacity for advocacy, the role of the school mental health provider, data-informed decision-making in school behavioral health, and mental health in schools.

NASW ME will refund ticket purchases, minus the cost of any fees, up to 30 days of the event date. Refund requests after this time will only be considered on a case-by-case basis. NASW ME cannot guarantee refunds beyond the 7 day mark. Before requesting a refund, please consider finding an alternative attendee to take your ticket. NASW ME can assist in the ticket transfer process.