Schools, Mental Health Professionals Call For More Parent Involvement with Social Media

Clarke County School District staff and local mental health professionals called for increased parental involvement in student well-being at the Mental Health Town Hall Monday, referencing behavioral changes related to adolescent social media use.

“All social media and the internet just kind of snowballed, and nobody was like, ‘Here, let me give you parameters that you need to have with your kid,’” said Fran Thompson, a mental wellness specialist for CCSD.

The Student and Family Support department hosted the first-time panel discussion at Clarke Middle School, giving attendees the opportunity to have their questions answered by mental health professionals. 

Tessa Barbazon, the executive director of Student and Family Support, opened discussion by asking panelists for their thoughts on adolescent social media use.

“What I have seen is the impact of social media use on students’ mental health is the increase of anxiety and the decrease of cognitive self esteem,” said Kizzy Wingfield, a mental health counselor at Cedar Shoals High School and the lead mental health counselor for the district.

Claudia Ravenell, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist and supervisor of the English and Spanish speaking team at the Social Empowerment Center, followed her fellow panelist’s comment with a call to action for parents.

I think parents need to constantly have conversations with their children about what is safe online, and then just be mindful about restriction and what’s appropriate,” she said.  

Thompson said the district’s younger families are active on social media and don’t understand the need to limit internet access for younger kids. She said they hope to host Mental Health Town Hall again in the fall, focusing specifically on social media. 

Ravenell said parent involvement is a key step in the process of getting children the mental health support they need.

The need for increased parental engagement was backed by the four other panelists, but they recognized some obstacles preventing many parents from being more involved — language barriers, time conflicts and lack of awareness.

Clarke County sees lower levels of parent involvement, according to Thompson. She said the exact reasons are unclear, but thinks the pressure on parents plays a role.

CCSD has made it a priority to reduce the stigma around mental health. The district held the Free Your Feels Teen Summit at The Classic Center on Oct. 26, 2024, which included a Caregiver Café, giving caregivers an opportunity to talk about their kids’ mental health struggles.

“It’s hard to engage parents because I think there’s a stigma that, like, if your kid is struggling, it’s something you did — and it’s not,” Thompson said.

Hailey Roberts is a student in Reporting I in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.