LRHS Health class puts spotlight on social media addiction, distracted driving for students

Although social media is popular among high school-aged students, spending too much time on a website can affect a person’s health in a negative way.

For the last two years, Lind-Ritzville High School Athletic Director and Health Teacher Greg Whitmore has taught a short unit focused on social media addiction and distracted driving.

Whitmore said social media and distracted driving are good lessons to cover in health class because it important for students to learn how both topics can impact their physical and mental health.

Since Whitmore started teaching the unit, there have been more social media sites for people to access. There is also more awareness on the subject of social media addiction.

Each of the schools in the Lind and Ritzville School Districts have Facebook pages, which staff members use to post information about current and future events, as well as cancellations.

During the unit, Whitmore said students learn how being on social media for too long can lower a person’s self esteem. He said an individual feels good when they see “like” on their Facebook or Instagram post. However, there are some instances when students do not have as many likes on their social media post, it can lead to depression.

Students also learn about the effects and implications of cyber bullying on social media.

During the lesson, Whitmore and students discuss how much they use their phone to access social media. Students use their phones as an alarm and have it within an arm’s reach of their bed. He explained this can affect their sleeping habits because they are staring at the screen before they go to sleep, or they are waking up in the middle of the night to access social media.

In some cases, students who are addicted to their phone become anxious without it.

As for distracted driving, Whitmore said he focuses on teaching students how dangerous it can be to use their phone while they are operating their vehicle. The lesson also educates the students to be alert and aware when they are driving.

In class, students learn different statistics associated with distracted driving, including how every day at least nine people are killed and more than 1,000 people are injured because of a distracted driver, according to DMV.org.

The students also watched two videos, the first titled “Wait for it … this could save your life.” The video clip, focuses on the dangers of not only texting and driving, but also being on social media while a driver is operating their vehicle.

In the video, several younger people are interviewed about their driving habits, specifically how they will operate their phone and access social media.

Each person meets a woman who they learn was injured and partially paralyzed in a motor vehicle accident where the other driver was distracted by their phone. The students also learn the woman’s parents were killed in the accident, resulting in the teens vowing not to use their phone while driving.

The other video students watched is “Sam’s Story.”

Produced by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the video is about Sam Thompson, a Colfax High School Class of 2012 graduate, who lost his life in an collision with a semi-truck in 2014.

According to the video, Thompson was texting and driving.

Whitmore said the video hits close to home for him because he knew Thompson when the he competed against Lind-Ritzville/Sprague in sporting events.

He said when students watch the video, it impacts them because Thompson is close to their age. Whitmore also recommends parents watch the videos with their children.

Whitmore said there are other videos students can watch and resources for them to access for more information and statistics. He also recommended AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign, which promotes no texting while driving. He also hopes some of the new laws will help curb the number of accidents associated with distracted driving in the future.

Although students learn about the implications of social media addiction and distracted driving, Whitmore said adults also have a role in educating their children about these issues. He said parents should be aware if they using their cell phones when they drive, as they are modeling bad behavior to their kids.

Whitmore acknowledged he is attached to his phone because of work and his involvement with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, though he is trying to reduce the amount of time he is on his phone.