Media education needs to be socio-emotional – 09/28/2023 – Education

More than half of teachers in Brazil have already had to provide some type of support to students who experienced sensitive situations related to the use of technologies and social networks. According to the new ICT Education 2022 survey, released this week by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), the current rate reached 61%, an increase of 12 percentage points compared to the previous year.

The data refers to teachers who work in elementary and secondary education. Among the situations described by the research are: excessive use of online games (46%); cyberbullying (34%); discrimination (30%); leaking images without consent (26%) and harassment (20%). All showed a growth trend between 2021 and 2022.

With other indicators showing that access to cell phones and computers is increasing among younger people, it is possible that these rates will increase even more in the coming years, creating a situation that scares many pedagogical teams, who do not feel prepared to deal with the risks teens face on social media.

While protective measures often move towards prohibition, such as the decision of some education networks to abolish cell phones in the school environment, it is necessary to recognize that the concrete reality is different from what the rules recommend. Therefore, admitting the need to address the harmful use of social networks without taboo, in the classroom, is fundamental.

If previously bullying and other violence occurred within schools, with some control from educators, even though any situation of violence represents a challenge for the management of teachers, directors and coordinators, today attacks go beyond the school period and environment, re-victimizing children and young people all the time, without rest, through messages, memes and other types of publications.

Many have no idea how far a photo of a colleague in a embarrassing situation can have. They also don’t know what it means to create a sticker on WhatsApp with the image of a friend or teacher. And they are unaware of the toxic and violent potential of getting involved in challenges spread online, as occurred this week at Colégio Pedro II, in Rio de Janeiro, where students slapped an English teacher.

Therefore, situations like these, of harassment and other forms of symbolic or physical violence that occur on social media, can be important starting points to guide the necessary reflection, with children and adolescents, on the relationship between emotions and impulsive use. of digital resources to offend, mock and distill hatred.

But debating situations of violence, even if they occur digitally, is not the same as proposing a discussion on any other type of curricular topic. We are facing subjective and painful issues that require care so that students do not feel attacked, a second time, when they are faced with a pedagogical proposal that, even if well-intentioned, leads the young person to relive the pain of exposure and embarrassment. .

In these cases, it is important to know how to accept and address pain and subjectivity beyond the rational proposal of reflecting on an issue that affects an entire age category, without neglecting the involvement of families in this process, as this is a collective task.

It is essential, therefore, to reconcile the purpose of educating about the ethical use of social networks and caring for the emotions of children and young people involved in cyberbullying practices so that the pedagogical proposal results in students not only being more critical and ethical, but above all empathetic and welcoming, on and off the internet.