Max Stossel, award-winning filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of the organization Social Awakening, joined our IMS Community on Tuesday to present on the impact of social media and technology on our lives.

“The hardest part about growing up in the digital world today is that it’s never been easier to run away from ourselves.”

Max Stossel began the day speaking to the Upper Campus student body. With his first-hand experience working in social media development, he emphasized that the driving force behind social media and technology is to capture our time. To developers of platforms like Snapchat and Meta, we are their product. This revelation was not lost on our students as many admitted to feeling a sense of guilt and distress regarding their digital media consumption.

Posing the question “Am I using the tool, or is the tool using me?”, Mr. Stossel provided a series of strategies and resources to help students combat mindless scrolling and gaming. Perhaps the most poignant strategy being to establish accountabilibuddies where you and a friend hold each other accountable for limiting social media and technology usage. This method encourages students to take their conversations out of the digital world back into the real world, allowing them to form healthier and more meaningful relationships with their peers.

Other topics that were discussed with IMS students included cyberbullying, recognizing inappropriate communication on social media, and who they can reach out to for help regarding their digital media usage.

Later in the day, seventh through ninth grade student leaders were invited back to have a special Q&A with Mr. Stossel. They were encouraged to speak openly as a group regarding their digital media questions and concerns. This allowed student leaders, with the help of Mr. Stossel, to develop personalized strategies for improving our community at IMS.

In the evening, parents and members of the community were invited to campus for a final discussion with Mr. Stossel. After a thought-provoking presentation, parents chatted with Mr. Stossel on issues relevant to raising young adults in the digital world. Parents agreed that they feel a lot of peer pressure to give their children phones and access to social media before they feel their children are ready to handle the responsibility. Mr. Stossel reiterated the same tip he gave students earlier in the day, that creating accountabilibuddies with other parents is a great way to help manage and maintain rules surrounding technology usage.

At the end of the day, Mr. Stossel’s message was clear – open communication and dialogues surrounding technology usage will help us grow stronger as a community. It is not the job of just one student, or parent, or teacher to make a difference. It is the job of our entire community to come together and focus on connecting in the real world over the digital. 

Click here to learn more about Max Stossel’s programming.