PHOENIX — The first day of school can be a mix of emotions for parents and students alike. But with social media, the landscape for school-aged kids can feel even more daunting, especially for those who feel at odds with the digital world’s constant presence.
“The education aspect was easy,” said Kayla Hodge, a Valley sophomore in high school. “But the social aspect was nerve-wracking.”
As Hodge explained, many of her peers' role models are social media influencers. These influencers are often paid by brands to post photos and videos and don’t always disclose those sponsorships.
“With social media, almost all of it’s fake,” she said. “You're looking up to a girl who's editing her pics [pictures] or looking up to a guy who's taking testosterone to get so big. Like, it's all unrealistic, but people don't know that.”
The peer pressure to live up to expectations set by influencers can set the tone for how students are perceived for the entire school year, Hodge explained.
“People are judgmental just off first impressions,” Hodge said. “If you go to school on the first day and you're not wearing a cool or trendy outfit, like, that could ruin your reputation for the rest of the semester, even the year just because you don't dress the way people like.”
Vanessa Baker, the Family Programs manager at NotMYKid, noted how social media can seem like a way for people to make genuine connections. Yet it often leads people to feel more lonely.
“There's an awful lot of connection via social media, and you know, group chats on Snapchat, and then TikTok and all the different ways that kids can feel like they might be connected,” Baker said. “But they're not really, like, sharing of themselves or feeling safe to trust someone else. And so there's a lot of – there could be many people around and you still feel alone.”
Ultimately, Baker said, helping children feel validated can help them as they navigate not just a new school year, but social media and beyond.
“Hearing them and meeting them where they're at with that experience of loneliness is a really quick shortcut to help someone feel less alone,” Baker said.