April 1, 2024
Join New Canaan CARES at Saxe Middle School Auditorium on April 4 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to learn parenting tools to limit social media’s negative impact on children with guest speaker Max Stossel, founder of Social Awakening. This program is intended for all New Canaan community members including parents, grandparents, teachers, and administrators!
More About Max Stossel and the “Social Awakening”
Max Stossel addresses school students, drawing parallels between the addictive design of social media platforms and casino slot machines. Having worked for a social media company, Stossel revealed that “growth teams” focus on maximizing user time on platforms, as more user time translates directly to higher profits for these companies. Stossel highlights the irony of smartphones being both magical devices and sources of significant disruption, noting apps like TikTok, SnapChat, and games like Fortnite are engineered to dominate users’ attention, urging students to reflect on whether they control technology or if it controls them.
To mitigate the adverse effects of social media on mental health, which has seen a rise in depression and anxiety since its popularity surge in 2012, Stossel offered practical advice. He emphasized turning off non-human notifications, unfollowing accounts that induce negativity, and deleting toxic apps. Stossel suggests tools like OneSec to delay opening distracting apps and sites and advocates for replacing harmful social media habits with more fulfilling activities such as personal interactions and physical exercise. Stossel’s approach encourages self-reflection on how social media usage makes individuals feel, aiming for a healthier relationship with technology.