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Guiding the Digital Generation: Social Media Essentials for Youth-serving Professionals

Social media use among youth is nearly universal, bringing with it both opportunities and misgivings, with the latter including mental health concerns. As national discussions increasingly focus on mental health, especially among youth, it is essential to acknowledge social media's impact and the need for tools to engage online positively and safely. This course aims to teach youth-serving professionals about the benefits and risks of social media while providing resources and strategies to help students navigate the ever-changing online world.

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Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  1. Define social media and identify usage trends among youth.
  2. List the benefits and risks of youth social media use.
  3. Describe how different youth groups can be negatively impacted by social media use.
  4. Explain what cyberbullying is and identify methods for dealing with it.
  5. Identify social media applications that have practical use for your project or in the classroom.
  6. List the best practices for integrating social media into your classroom or project. 
     

Developers

Colorado State University Prevention Research Center

eCourse Credentialing

  • Earn a certificate upon completion and submit it to your employer for continuing education credit.
  • Pennsylvania educators earn Act 48 credits by completing this course.
  • The PLP team is currently exploring additional opportunities to expand continuing education credit eligibility within Pennsylvania and to other states in the future.

Penn State is a Pennsylvania Department of Education non-credit Act 48 approved provider. Upon successful completion, participants can earn 1.5 hours toward fulfilling their Act 48 requirements by participating in this course and completing all activities. Be sure to complete the evaluation at the end of this course and indicate if you seek Act 48 credits in your learner profile.

eCourse Length: 1+ Hours

eCourse Level: Introductory

eCourse Type: Full eCourse

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