Editor’s Note: Katherine C. Rohn, Adam M. McCready, Kelly Farrell, and Ayaa Elgoharry prepared the following rapid research brief (unabridged version) with the Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE). The full brief summarizes key findings from an analysis of 45 social media and technology policies from 32 Connecticut school districts that operate middle and high schools. It concludes with recommendations aimed at helping constituents develop social media and technology policies that reflect the current state of digital media in adolescent lives and center student mental health. Below is an executive summary.

Adolescent digital technology usage has become nearly ubiquitous; students rely on technology for learning and social connection. Simultaneously, reports of mental health issues (e.g. anxiety) among adolescents have increased worldwide (U.S. Center for Disease Control, 2023; World Health Organization, 2021). There is a growing public narrative that digital technology use is associated with problematic mental health outcomes for adolescents (Odgers & Jensen, 2020; Twenge et al., 2018). However, the relationship between technology use and mental health is complex and research on this topic is in fact mixed (Odgers & Jensen, 2020). The effects of social media usage can vary based on youths’ individual developmental capacities, risk factors, and existing mental illness diagnoses (APA, 2023).

It is vital then that schools — where children spend most of their time outside of the home — consider their role in addressing healthy social media and technology usage. School district social media and technology use policies can shape school-level decision-making, curriculum implementation, and teaching practices, which directly influence students’ well-being (Lenhoff et al., 2022). Unfortunately, technology and social networking platforms are evolving faster than schools develop their policies. The original draft of Senate Bill 14, Section 4, proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont earlier this year, included language to address student cellphone use in Connecticut public schools (Connecticut Education Association [CEA], 2024). While this section was not included in the final bill, it reflects increasing interest in investing in technology and social media policy reforms and effective interventions within schools.

Digital technology and social media are essential to students’ lives and learning. While concerns about adolescent social media use and mental health persist, and school district policies likely influence student well-being, many current policies fail to adequately address social media, its associations with mental health, and potential educational interventions that can help mitigate negative effects and promote positive ones. Advances in technology have outpaced both research and school policy. Recommendations included in this brief provide guidance to school district leaders and others attempting to navigate this rapidly changing landscape that may affect student mental health well-being.

While concerns about adolescent social media use and mental health persist,  many current policies fail to adequately address social media, its associations with mental health, and potential educational interventions that can help mitigate negative effects and promote positive ones. — Katherine C. Rohn, Adam M. McCready, Kelly Farrell, and Ayaa Elgoharry

Key Findings and Recommendations

Finding 1: Policies made limited, vague, outdated, or no references to social media, indicating that they have not kept up with the rapid changes of adolescent digital media use.

Finding 2: Policies typically framed technology use as being essential for education while conversely conveying that students’ use of technology was a privilege that students could lose altogether.

Recommendation 1: Revise and update school district policies to explicitly address evolving social media and technology platforms and the current role that digital media plays in students’ lives.

• Remove language that frames technology access as a “privilege” as digital media is an essential part of student learning
• Adopt standalone social media policies that define social media, operationalize its use, and describe the jurisdiction of the school board and school administration to address student social media use.

Finding 3: Policies pledged to educate students about safe and healthy digital technology use, but specific commitments and recommendations to execute this objective were limited.

Recommendation 2: Include proactive guidance on how school boards and schools will educate students and adults on safe and healthy technology and social media use.

• Include commitments to resources so that schools can provide proactive, ongoing, differentiated, developmentally appropriate educational initiatives focused on digital agency, digital citizenship, and digital literacy
• Articulate commitments and guidance for the distribution of resources to educate adults on understanding and teaching healthy digital behaviors as they serve as important role models for adolescents

Finding 4: Policies rarely addressed student mental health, instead using terms like “safe environments” or including references to protecting students from harmful content and behaviors (e.g. cyberbullying, pornography, or obscenities) as proxies for mental health.

Recommendation 3: Reframe school district technology and social media policies to focus on adolescent mental health.

• Provide a clear definition of mental health—inclusive of mental illness and positive well-being—in framing social media and technology policies.
• Include clear examples for what constitutes “acceptable use” of social media for mental well-being purposes.

Note: This CEPARE brief was produced during Phase 1 of the Social Media and Digital Literacy Study with funding supplied by the University of Connecticut. Part 2 of the Social Media and Digital Literacy Study is funded by the Center for Connecticut Education Research Collaboration (CCERC).