Project by: Ricky Castillo (10th Grade)
Project Advisor: Charlene Cruz-Cerdas
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): James French
Description of the Project:
The project I am working on is an in-depth exploration of teenagers’ mental health and how social media impacts it. I want to look more closely at depression and other mental health-related statistics since the iPhone was first released in 2007 and since social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat were released. Technology is something that plays a heavy role in American’s day to day lives. I wish to only begin my research with social media’s role in our mental health and go from there looking more closely at the stigma around mental illness and how schools can be a part of the solution. It is important to address the physical, behavioral, social, and emotional aspects of a child because they impact the child’s environment and ability to fully participate in learning. I have seen firsthand what social media can do to someone and how it can change a person. Teens who are surrounded by trauma and heavily impacted by social media are the ones who fall behind and who need the most help in getting back up after falling down. I hope to learn about mental health as a whole and learn about ways to spread awareness and pinpoint factors that may lead to mental illness.
Final Product:
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Open in new tab Data Collection – 157 response and 5 interviews Out of the 157 students at LREI who filled out the mental health form, 124 would rate their mental health better during quarantine and worse in trimesters 1 and 2. This goes to show the expectation from many that our mental health would crumble when instead it has given students at LREI time away from the drama and the hecticness that comes with keeping a stable mental health. Problems like poor self image, jealousy, fear of missing out, depression, anxiety and self absorption have sizzled. The direct connection to this change can be found through interviewing only a few students at LREI ranging from 10th to 12th grade. One student reciprocated that she missed her friends a lot but that she finally had some peace in all of the chaos of social media and keeping up appearances. The survey shows how 127 students at LREI feel that they spend most of their day on social media and 140 students feel they have lost time on social media. Knowing this cause and feeling that you’ve been on it way too much just goes to show how LREI can be involved in educating students and pushing for the proper and more safer use of social media and technology. 103 students reciprocated that they felt that mental health isn’t at all talked about at LREI and 41 students felt it wasn’t talked about enough. Students share anecdotes about their struggle with mental health and others offer solutions and a voice. Students talk about the drama and the toll that social media leaves on their life. 112 students would assess their knowledge of mental health overall and the effect social media and trauma have on it as poor. A true commitment to educating students on mental health highlighting the negative effects that can come with social media could change students day to day life
Final Reflection on Learning:
Was there a moment this trimester when you surprised yourself with some aspect of your learning? What was the context of this surprise? What new insights did you gain?
A moment during this trimester when I surprised myself with a particular aspect of my learning was during my time interviewing students at LREI. I was surprised by the fact that many students had struggled with their mental wellbeing, and weren’t at all aware of the effects that social media had on them. What tied back to my learning was the trust and understanding that I needed to establish to receive accurate information. I gained insights into the effect that education can have on people and how it can mold them into being better. Reading and hearing personal anecdotes about how students have struggled with their mental health opened up the importance of education and the application of it.
Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3 (include any photos or video if relevant):
Weeks 1-3 of this trimester focused more on the research of my project and educating myself on mental health and social media. I looked at the purpose of social media and started to define my research on mental health in two ways. I looked at the effects that social media has on our wellbeing and I also looked at the science in how it affects our brains finding what exact damage it is causing. In doing this research I found with the help of Charlene that this project is more than research on how social media affects our mental health, teens specifically, it’s about how well the school educates its students on mental health and how well they look at students wellbeing overall. Learning about the immense damage that the overuse of technology and social media can cause has helped me realize how important learning about mental health in general.
Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6 (include any photos or video if relevant):
Weeks 4-6 began with discussions with Ana Chaney, the middle school principal, and Judy Lambek, the lower school psychologist. The discussions concentrated on how the lower and middle schools were educating students on mental wellbeing and identity. I then focused on sending out a survey to the LREI Highschool. I received feedback on the mental health of students compared to now and Trimesters 1 and 2 along with their usage of social media. The survey looked further at how much knowledge students have, on the effects of social media and trauma on their mental health. The survey also received personal anecdotes about people’s struggle with their mental health and their wish for the school to be involved. I then wrote up an analysis of the data received moving to the next phase of my data collection, interviews.
Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 (include any photos or video if relevant):
Weeks 7-9 consisted of 5 interviews with people from grades 9-12th. There were around 20 people who showed interest and in the interest of time I was only able to get through 5. The interviews were very insightful with my learning just how much education on mental health is needed for Juniors and Seniors especially. I also learned about the resources that students have already been using at the high school and the lack of them. I was able to get feedback on what they would like to see differently and what kind of impact education on mental health and the negative effects that can come with social media, would have on their day to day lives. After collecting and reflecting on these interviews I finally had the knowledge and steps to move further with changing the school for the better. I spoke with Allison Isbell, the high school principal, to figure out ways we could integrate and improve education on the effects of social media and on mental health overall. We talked about the Life Lab program in the high school and ways it can be strengthened with people choosing what they would like to participate in, each trimester creating more engagement and organization to the education. I also brought up the idea of extending the time in advisory and having that be a place to learn about your emotions and identity in relation to your mental health. We lastly, discussed making more certain things in the school more aware and accessible like the school psychologist, people you can approach when struggling with your mental health, and the option to miss school if you are struggling with your wellbeing. When ending our meeting and reflecting on my work we looked to the future and the work that would have to go into bringing change to the school.
