Local online safety and social media organisation MySociaLife has introduced a social media current affairs video show, to equip school learners with online safety knowledge.
This, as the world today marks Safer Internet Day, which promotes safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones for children and adults.
Named OneLife, the 22-minute social media current affairs video show focuses on “hyper-relevant” issues, such as the latest cyber security hacks, fake news, app trends, mental health tips, privacy settings, etc.
The show is meant for learners aged 12 and 18 years, showcasing video episodes made up of six three-minute segments.
Teachers will receive a monthly on-demand webinar link that can be played in schools, in life orientation classes, computer or technology classes. Alternatively, learners can log in on their own devices and watch the show with a downloadable workbook, says a statement.
“Screen time is up dramatically. In the schools we have taught in, the number one lesson consistently requested by teens is mental health, and the second is attention and focus,” says digital life skills expert and MySociaLife founder Dean McCoubrey.
“What does that tell us? Students have been calling out for help from adults. It’s why we decided to create a show that would offer modern life skills but taught through the lens of social media.”
In the statement, MySociaLife explains children are receiving devices at a younger age, staying online longer and are exposed to more content, more strangers and more risks than ever before.
However, the school system hasn’t equipped them for modern digital life.
The statement notes decision-makers in education are largely in their thirties or older. Moreover, the majority of teachers simply cannot follow the new and complex landscape of those under 18. Even millennials and Gen Z see the digital landscape differently.
“Students demand an objective voice, not a teacher from the school, to unpack the latest sextortion tricks, cyber security hacks, privacy settings, critical thinking tips and more.
“This is where OneLife positions itself − a one-of-a-kind web show that presents fresh, regular and relevant content in a language that students understand, offering the experience of experts and creators that have grown up in the same world as the students and are especially well-versed in teaching important life skills.”
Adds McCoubrey: “Social media exposure is costing many teens their mental health, attention and focus, planting dangerous seeds in their brains that are either too difficult to uproot or too difficult to process. This often leads them to become secretive, causing feelings of shame and guilt − the results of a harmful snowball effect that never ends.
“OneLife is essentially not just a life skills coach but a digital life coach for the incoming generation of hopeful university applicants. A smart digital profile, clean of any reputation issues via hashtags and tags, can change a life outcome for teens. We have seen continual examples of sad situations where social media comes back to bite you.”
The monthly video shows are charged from R30 per learner.
Share