Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Helping Parents and Teens Understand the Harms of Social Media
Challenge
Social media can connect us to a world of opportunities, but what if it’s harming our children? Most parents don’t realize how social media impacts their children and teens.
Teens who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes.
Nearly half of teens ages 13 to 17 say using social media makes them feel worse.
Almost 60% of teenage girls say they’ve been contacted by a stranger on social media platforms in ways that make them feel uncomfortable.
Kids are spending more time on their electronic devices and social media than ever before.
Open communication between parents and children is key to addressing the often-unseen harms of social media. We worked with The Utah Governor’s Office and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to help Utah’s children foster real relationships, set boundaries on device usage, and see improvements in mental health.
Solution
We unmasked the hidden dangers of social media. We leveraged videos, presentations, billboards, and a variety of media placements to teach Utah’s parents, caregivers, and educators about the harmful effects of social media on youth. The campaign not only brought awareness to the issue, but also protected the health and well-being of Utah youth, drove human connection, and empowered parents to take action on their own. We also drove Utahns to learn more via the socialharms.utah.gov website.
Pre and Post Campaign
Survey Results
25%
Of Parents Cut Back
on Their Teen’s Usage
as a Result
28%
Took Action
After Seeing
the Campaign
63%
Recall Rate
for the
Campaign