Last week I attended a conference and listened to Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, Associate Professor at UCL and author of Smartphone Nation.
She gave a fascinating talk about how design features and algorithms shape what young people see online. Her view is that bans and excessive control ultimately will not work for teenagers in a world where tech is all-pervasive. Instead, we need to teach young people how they can ‘game the system’ so that if they choose to use social media it works for them rather than the other way round.
Dr Regehr suggests some simple, practical habits for users of social media, both young and old.
First, spring‑clean the feed: regularly unfollow accounts that fuel anxiety or unhealthy comparison and follow those that inform, empower and reflect healthy values.
Second, be selective with engagement: remember that every like, comment and watch‑time is a ‘vote’, so only interact with content you want more of, and scroll quickly past anything that is unkind, extreme or undermining.
Third, run an ‘algorithm tidy‑up’ from time to time by using tools such as ‘not interested’, muting and content filters, and by deliberately searching for new, positive topics.
Fourth, never try to resolve differences or conflict online/within Whatsapp groups. When things become emotionally charged, pause, and discuss in-person.
As ever, home and school reinforcing the same messages helps our girls feel confident, informed and in control of their digital lives.