Teen Mental Health in an Online World: Supporting Young People Around Their Use Of Social Media, Apps, Gaming, Texting And The Rest

This essential book shows practitioners how they can engage with teens' online lives to support their mental health. Drawing on interviews with young people it discusses how adults can have open and inquiring conversations with teens about both the positive and negative aspects of their use of online spaces.

For most young people there is no longer a barrier between their 'real' and 'online' lives. This book reviews the latest research around this topic to investigate how those working with teenagers can use their insights into digital technologies to promote wellbeing in young people. It draws extensively on interviews with young people aged 12-16 throughout, who share their views about social media and reveal their online habits. Chapters delve into how teens harness online spaces such as YouTube, Instagram and gaming platforms for creative expression and participation in public life to improve their mental health and wellbeing. It also provides a framework for practitioners to start conversations with teens to help them develop resilience in respect of their internet use. The book also explores key risks such as bullying and online hate, social currency and the quest for 'likes', sexting, and online addiction.

This is essential reading for teachers, school counsellors, social workers, and CAMHS professionals (from psychiatrists to mental health nurses) - in short, any practitioner working with teenagers around mental health.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.
2. Social media, digital technologies and the internet: introducing teens' connected realities.
3. Getting creative - the affordances of digital for good mental health.
4. Developmental Frameworks and Perspectives.
5. From digital natives to digital differences.
6. Understanding adverse experiences online.
7. Digital resilience and digital rights.
8. A three-step framework for supporting teens' digital resilience.
9. Implications of digital technologies for young people's services.

"Worried about young people's use of the internet? Worried about its effect on their mental health? This book is informative, wise and realistic, exploring ways young people can be helped to be resilient and thoughtful as they embrace the opportunities and challenges of the internet. Parents and professionals will find this book extremely enlightening and practical."
- Nick Luxmoore, Psychotherapist, Trainer, Supervisor and Author

"As both a parent and a professional, I love that this book draws on the emerging evidence base as well as consultation with teens, parents and professionals to provide practical guidance on how to promote positive mental health in an online world. It's a tough topic and there's a real disconnect between the generations; this book bridges the gap beautifully."
- Pooky Knightsmith, Mental Health Author and Educator

"'At last! A practical guide that cuts through the media scaremongering about digital technology and youth mental health, and offers evidence-based advice for parents and practitioners. I love the way that teen voices and stories are woven into this essential book. Betton and Woollard give sage advice: forget about banning, blaming and educating our young people; if you want to attain true (h)appiness you must: explore, inquire and ally."
- André Tomlin, The Mental Elf

"Understanding the benefits, risks, and new horizons for teen mental health in the digital age is of critical importance for parents, teachers, clinicians, and policy makers. Renowned subject experts, Victoria Betton and James Woollard, now offer the first authoritative and comprehensive synthesis of the topic in this delightfully accessible and engaging text. Highly recommend for those seeking actionable knowledge and key insights at the intersection of the digital world and teen mental health."
- John Torous, MD MBI. Director of Digital Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

"In all the gloomy, even punitive talk about teens and social media, this spirited volume is most welcome. Betton and Woollard don't shy away from the worrying evidence of youthful mental health problems. But they weigh that evidence fairly, interpret it carefully, and set it in the context of the opportunities afforded by digital media. As they rightly ask, now that children grow up immersed in the digital age, what matters is what we - the responsible adults - do to support their mental health and their rights. Their many constructive suggestions point the way for parents, teachers, policy makers and others: I hope these adults are listening!"
- Sonia Livingstone, author of The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age, London School of Economics and Political Science