Making things Count!
Mental Health Matters News for Boaz City Schools Feb. 2023
February, 2023
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
https://www.teendvmonth.org/resources/
National School Counseling Week Feb. 6-10
Random Acts of Kindness Week Feb. 14-20
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/
Safer Internet Day (Feb. 9)
https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/educators
Valentine's Day (Feb. 14)
https://www.today.com/life/holidays/valentines-day-games-rcna66697
National Random Acts of Kindness Day (Feb. 17)
Presidents Day (Feb. 20) NO SCHOOL
Martin Luther King at his Nobel Peace Prize speech in Oslo, Norway 1964
Online Safety for Children
Technology changes so quickly that it is hard to keep up with what's in one day and the next.
For instance, emoji code that kids send back and forth to communicate in a language that most adults do not know how to interpret. It's like reading a whole new language if you have never seen it before.
There is no hard and fast rule about what is best for each child. That being said, we hope we know best for our own children. The simple fact of it is, we do not. Turning our children loose with 'devices' can open the door to a world they have never seen. While we can try and trust the filters, monitor devices, etc. none of them are perfect. We are living in a digital age now, and we also have to adjust to it.
While this article is not written to shame or point fingers at who has devices and who doesn't it is written with an attempt to educate, enlighten and support when the time, need or questions arise about children and online safety.
Below are some simple SMART ways to educate your children to be safe, as well as statistics, and a list of commonly used apps.
Fast Facts from Mental Health America
- Of teens, 45% believe social media has neither a positive nor negative impact on people their age. 31% say social media has a mostly positive impact and 24% say it has a mostly negative impact.
- Most teens who view social media as generally positive emphasized its role in keeping in touch and interacting with others.
- Around 59 percent of US teens have personally experienced abusive online behaviors, with the most common being name-calling which 42% of teens say they have experienced.
- During COVID-19, poorer mental health was associated with using social media for entertainment motives. Better mental health was associated with using social media for personal contact and keeping up relationships.
- A global study found school loneliness to be correlated with increases in smartphone and Internet use. When countries reached a point where half of the teen population had access to smartphones, loneliness levels began to rise.
Highlights from January:
- Juiliana Davis, MA Community Outreach Specialist from Mountain Lakes Behavioral Health Care
- Adam Culbert Assistant District Attorney
- Chris Young Investigator Marshall County Sherriff's Office
During the event, we learned about the dangers of social media, apps, and underage sexting that occurs in our youth.
Please let Lindsey McKee, Mental Health Service Coordinator know if you want a copy of the videos from the event.
Event Takeaways:
Most Dangerous Apps for Kids
1. Snapchat! (Guess What, it doesn't disappear, your images are stored and can be recovered!!!!)
2. Instagram (Porn is available on this app, and a private account does nothing to prevent explicit searches. Instagram also has added a disappearing photo and messaging feature which prevents you from recovering your child's conversations.)
3. Discord (Lot's phishing attacks including exploitation from others.)
4. Yik Yak (Most encounters including bullying, shaming, profanity, and users appear to be anonymous.)
5. Among Us (The reason this game made the list is because of the chat function. Profanity and violent language are used frequently on this app.)
6. Twitter
7. Omegle (This app randomly connects you to others with webcams which could be someone who is engaging children for exploitation.)
8. Hoop
9. Kik (This is very much like a private messenger app.)
10. Vault Apps
11. Roblox ( This game also has a chat feature and being that it is geared towards children ages 5-12 sexual predators use this to pretend to be similar-aged peers and exploit them. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN ALABAMA NOT TOO FAR FROM HOME!)
12. Yarn
13. Whisper (An anonymous text app where users superimpose words over pictures, telling users fact or fiction when user post confessions.)
15. Sniffy (This is a website that sends anonymous locations for male partners to meet anonymously. It will track the random person to you... to meet up, it is very dangerous!)
16. What's App
17. Reddit (This is often used as a means of bullying, and challenges which can potentially put children and adults in vulnerable positions and cause major issues with self-esteem, depression, anxiety, etc.)
18. Tumblr
19. AskFM
20. MeetMe
21. Blendr
22. Blue Whale (This is a Game that asks players to complete tasks that are harmful to their health)
23. My Friend Cayla (This app keeps a recording of activity to its servers this is not only an app but an INTERACTIVE DOLL that stores your child's voice, and commands and learns about them.)
Just remember there are over 16,000 registered sex offenders in the State of Alabama that being said... those are just the ones that got caught! Be aware and stay safe out there!
Resource Spotlight : Samantha Kelley, LPC, Ed. S. with Twindom Counseling
I asked Ms. Kelley to share with us a little bit about her practice and her vision and this is it! Ms. Kelley also practices some of her counseling on campus and is a great resource for us to use.
I started my practice because I see a lot of mental health issues in the community that generated from the pandemic, increased social issues, and environmental (home, school, etc.). I wanted to give people in the community space to create or recreate the balance that was upset by the transitions that we had to adapt too, and other societal issues. I see a lot of people and kids here who need help learning how to live in a post pandemic era, and developed social issues, anxieties and trouble adjusting, that they may have never had issues with before. Kids and teens are facing more social issues that can take a toll on their mental health, and we see an increase in crisis amongst this population. I believe that giving people a place to process their thoughts, feeling and emotions will help them better generate that lost balance and to create a healthier version of themselves.
SELF CARE BASKET GIVEAWAY
Thank you to Blessed Endeavors, Emporium South, Mill Street Deli and Gaines Florist!