Our youth are connected to each other via social media, and those relationships are meaningful and important. However, youth spending time with peers, in person, is essential to their healthy development. Recently published research indicates youth are experiencing loneliness at higher levels now, especially with the impact of COVID. Surveys conducted in 2020 found teenagers

Do teens lack empathy for others? Is it possible to “teach” empathy to teens? One study promoted the theory that teens are incapable of taking the feelings of others into account because they are just incapable of doing so. Another study states that involvement in social media has decreased the levels of empathy among youth.

Youth use technology and social media for entertainment, to post commentary and content, maintain and make new connections and navigate relationships. Sometimes those relationships can be harmful. Cyberbullying, sexting, sexual bullying and digital dating violence impact a significant number of our youth, often with long lasting consequences. The current research addressing cyberbullying and harassment, sexting