How students can use social media in their education

Tech-addicted teens are checking social accounts up to 50 times a day. But is being connected a hindrance to students in their quest for academic excellence — or can it also help them?

Since time immemorial, students have found ways to procrastinate come crunch time.

But today, young people are being tempted by something more tantalising than their favourite TV show, the shopping mall or the games arcade: social media.

Tech-addicted teens are checking accounts up to 50 times a day, the Australian Psychological Society has found, and one in three get distressed without their phones.

And it’s little wonder. Popular sites like Facebook and Instagram have been cleverly designed using casino-like psychological tricks, tapping into our craving for validation to keep us clicking.

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Our social media addiction is even contributing to a rising condition called ‘nomophobia’ — the fear of being unable to access a phone.

So is social media only proving a hindrance to students in their quest for academic excellence — or can it also help them?

Vivienne Hargreaves has found ways of stopping social media from interfering with her studies.

Like most of her peers, Vivienne Hargreaves, 16, admits to using social media “more than I probably should”.

But the dedicated student has developed tactics she believes will hold her in good stead for VCE, including putting her phone on ‘do not disturb’ when it’s time to knuckle down.

“I’ll also put my phone on the bed so it’s physically away from me, otherwise I’ll be on it all the time,” she says Vivienne, who starts Year 11 at University High this year.

“For me I just need to not use it at all when I’m studying. There’s a lot of software you can use on your computer to keep on track and block certain websites, or limit usage of different apps, and I’ve used those too.”

Instagram, YouTube and Facebook Messenger are the teen’s most-frequented platforms, and she sometimes uses Facebook groups for different subjects.

She says YouTube can be good for educational videos, helping her understand topics she’s struggling with.

“It might be a nine-minute video on something we’ve been learning, and it can be really helpful to revisit it,” she says.

Dr Joanne Orlando, a researcher in learning and technology at Western Sydney University, says there are three common concerns among teachers and parents: distraction, staying up too late, and disturbed sleep due to the blue light emitted during screen time in bed.

She says our curiosity is naturally roused when notifications flash up, but this can be even more distracting for VCE students.

“For teens this is more of a distraction because at their stage of child development, their peers and being included in their social group is very important to them,” she says.

“FOMO (fear of missing out) and being excluded from online conversations is (an issue) for them.

But if a student continually responds to every notification, they will stop and start their studies over and over.

This means more of a superficial approach to their work and less opportunity and time to think deeply about it and really understand their work.”

Social media networks can be used for VCE study groups.

On the flip side, she says social sites can assist study, including seeking help through online VCE groups from classmates and teachers, and an endless pool of students and educators at other schools.

“Friends and peers who are going through the same thing can also offer lots of support online,” she says.

“Students can find this very valuable. They don’t have to wait until they are at school to get the support but can get it when they need it — which might mean 10pm.”

She says it can be useful for parents and teachers to have an open discussion with students on effective measures to control their use of socials.

“Many students however are savvy and the majority of students that I’ve talked to about their social media use have developed their own personalised ways to limit reaching for their phone,” she says.

“Every generation uses technology differently, therefore imposing what we think will work is not always the best solution. Listening to and valuing what is working for them is important.”

Victoria Association of State Secondary Principals president Sue Bell agrees that there are two sides of the story with social media use, and says it can be a “fabulous bonding exercise”.

“At my previous school, the Year 12 students had a Facebook page where they could link in together, support each other, ask questions about their school work, organise activities, study groups and social functions within the school,” she says.

“From a teacher’s perspective, it can also be a very powerful way to communicate with students very quickly. For example, Year 12 co-ordinators might need to let students know the Chief Examiner for English is speaking the next day — so it’s making sure students are informed.”

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Ms Bell says social media was the main method of communication for young people today, and schools now relied less on sending emails to senior students.

But she pauses when asked if today’s students are more distracted.

She’s unsure. She says it’s imperative that students are educated on how to use technology wisely, to set themselves up for good study patterns.

“It’s potentially a distraction, it’s always there,” she says.

“But it’s about self-discipline, and managing all of those inputs — after all, that’s modern life, that’s the world they will experience when they leave school. It’s important parents set the boundaries in their children from a very early age.”