MCPS takes action against the effects of social media on mental health

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Hundreds of D.C. area teens and their parents came together to take action against the effects of social media on their mental well-being.

The Girls' Summit— mostly made up of Montgomery County middle and high school girls— took place at Clarksburg High School. Hundreds of students and their parents from Montgomery County middle and high schools —came together at a Girls’ Summit to discuss the real effects of social media while learning about strategies to help minimize its devastating impact on mental health.

"All I know is that if you really use it the wrong way then it can hurt a lot of people and that we should try to use that information for good reasons," Zahra Abdullah Irons MCPS Student says.

"I think social media has a big impact on everyone in different ways like someone could compare themselves to other influencers or something, but it’s very important to take breaks on social media too," Benita Komelia, MCPS student says.

The summit also featured a showing of the movie Screenagers focusing on mental health in the digital age.

"It’s not necessarily the screens that cause all of this, but it’s what’s happening in their life and when they turn to it that accentuates some of the emotions that they may already have like stress anxiety and depression so really all we can do is have some open conversations," Lisa Tabb, Screenagers Movie Trilogy Producer says.

This summit garnered attention in light of the May advisory by Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. He emphasized the adverse impact of social media on youth mental health adding that social media use can perpetuate 'body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls.

"We want to have people come and learn skills about how to manage their time how to manage stress how to support each other how to talk about difficult things and one thing that we realized is that just getting people together in a space to see that they’re not alone in helping them support each other and celebrate each other," Dr. Patricia Kapunan/Chief Medical Officer of Montgomery County Schools says. 

Organizers emphasized the importance of the event, saying, teen girls and their parents will be encouraged to take back their control in the wake of social media’s barrage and grip.

"I want you to know this is not a one and done event —we want this to be an experience for every girl who walks out of this building feeling like they have been somewhere where they know they matter and their voices matters," Stephanie Iszard, MCPS Girls’ Summit Organizer says.

While The summit lasted several hours, the ultimate long term goal is to set a path that will support young people and put into place some guardrails to ensure their well-being is front and center—in every discussion.