Comparison & self-esteem issues and conclusion

The podcast discusses the importance of managing online privacy and safety, the impact of social media on self-esteem, and the need for educating primary students about responsible social media use. It highlights the influence of "influencers" on young students and the negative effects of comparing oneself to others on social media. The podcast suggests creating activities and discussions around identity and self-love, organizing workshops with parents to discuss the dangers of social media, and implementing strategies such as parental control over devices and changing privacy settings. It emphasizes the need for tailored lessons and a supportive environment where students feel comfortable discussing their concerns. The potential consequences of irresponsible social media use are mentioned, including online predators, negative digital footprints, cyberbullying, and self-esteem issues. So, we've spoken about managing online privacy and safety, having a digital footprint and cyberbullying. Another issue that I want to quickly touch on is comparison and self-esteem issues to others on social media. As we know, students are gaining access to social media from a young age, thus being exposed to those who call themselves influencers and creating a false interpretation of their lives. This can be detrimental for primary students, as young individuals are more gullible to believing whatever is presented to them online. Following these types of influencers who post about their daily lives on apps such as Instagram or TikTok, young students can easily be influenced, viewing them as role models and as someone they want to be when they grow up, resulting in our students comparing themselves to these people. Social media frequently features images of idolised body types, beauty standards and filters that can lead to body image dissatisfaction and unhealthy attempts to conform to these standards, especially in girls. To avoid these feelings, teachers should create activities and discussions around identity and self-love, and how everyone has their own identity and body type, each being beautiful in their own way. Students should learn to create positive and healthy relationships with themselves and learn to love themselves as they are. To avoid self-esteem issues and other issues that have been discussed throughout this podcast, the school can organise a workshop with parents discussing the negative effects of social media, the implications this can have on our children and how to avoid these dangers. Tactics that can be used include parents having control over children's devices, changing the privacy settings of their social media accordingly, observing who the child is communicating with online and following the application's age restrictions. So, to wrap up this series of podcasts, I want to stress how educating primary students about social media is important to help them develop a responsible and safe approach to using online platforms. I want you to keep in mind that primary students have varying levels of understanding, so tailor your lessons and discussions to their age and developmental stage. As teachers, it is crucial to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and sharing their concerns about social media. Make these discussions frequent within the classroom, so students remember the potential consequences and ways to avoid them. These consequences can include online predators sharing too much information, leaving a negative digital footprint, cyberbullying and self-esteem issues. I hope you enjoyed and found this podcast informative and I look forward to hearing how the issues presented are being taught within the classroom. Thank you for listening.