According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Surveys show that ninety percent of teens ages 13-17 have used social media. Seventy five percent report having at least one active social media profile, and 51% report visiting a social media site at least daily. Two thirds of teens have their own mobile devices with internet capabilities. On average, teens are online almost nine hours a day, not including time for homework.”

So let’s get this out of the way now: social media is and, for the seeable future, will be a part of our everyday life. That includes in the classroom. So we won’t be discussing whether or not it is a good or bad thing, but rather, what it looks like in the classroom and how we can better steer it in the right direction. 

What are some ways we can avoid this or deal with this when it happens?