Do you ever stop to think about how much time people spend looking at their phones and using social media? This senior at Lakota West High School, in West Chester, Ohio has and she’s working on a plan to help her peers log off.
In ninth grade, Sarah AbuDakar was asked to write about her passion project. At that time in her life she was driven to learn about what makes people happy. “I’m really interested in making connections and building relationships. Happiness is so important” shared Sarah.
While researching happiness, she discovered the growing body of research that shows the negative effects of social media, especially among young people. “I really started to become aware of how much time I spent on social media. I deleted all of my apps and started to journal. I noticed that my connections with the people in my life were stronger. The journey has been amazing” said Sarah.
That’s when Sarah found Log Off, a movement dedicated to rethinking social media by teens for teens. The group is working to address the impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers and helping parents how to support their kids. “ Sarah really found her people when she joined Log Off” shared Sarah’s mother, Kristen.
Sarah is putting what she learned into action. Currently she is writing a curriculum for schools to use to teach students safe habits for social media use. The curriculum will cover a variety of topics including social media addiction, cyber bullying, and social media’s impact on mental and physical health. Her high school even plans to use the curriculum when it’s ready.
“My principal has been very supportive and the school is behind me!” Sarah explained.
Sarah plans to offer support to teachers who use the curriculum and hopes to be able to mentor teenagers on how to log off.
“It’s about finding balance” shared Sarah’s mother.
This weeks’ NewsDepth A+ Award goes to Sarah AbuDakar, from Lakota West High School, for helping her classmates log off. Keep up the great work!
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.
