Healthy Relationships Utah Teens
May 2023
PARENTING TIP
Improve Mental Health with a Family Media Plan
As a parent, it can feel overwhelming to address worries you have for your teen. One of which might be social media and mental health.
Here are some tips and ideas to address social media use and its potential impacts. 
 
First, think about what your ideal family media plan would look like. Consider the positives of technology, such as social connection and learning, and the negatives, such as overload and unhealthy content. Next, discuss the plan with your teens and listen to their ideas and input. Consider how technology is used, what they like about social media and technology, and if they’ve seen anything concerning.  
 
In one study on mental health and technology they found that teens with engaged parents and good communication around technology have less depression and anxiety. Consider your own use of technology and how open the line of communication is around it and mental health as you prepare to talk to your teenager this month. 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Find us on Social Media!

Instagram: @hruteens
TikTok: @hruteens
TEEN TALK
Control Technology or it Will Control You
Have you ever stopped to contemplate how technology and social media fit into your life? Are some parts of it beneficial? What is problematic about it? Does it matter how many hours per day it’s used? What might you be missing out on because of it? Are there really links to declining mental health from its use? 

Technology has its benefits and downfalls. Once we’ve asked ourselves these questions, we can start to form our own media plan to set our intentions and boundaries with it. Your plan might include specifics about texting, social media, gaming, sexting, and pornography. The more specific we are the more intentional our use of technology can become, which can help us steer clear of negative side effects. 
QUOTE CORNER
Quotes About the
Love Notes Curriculum
“I talked to my boyfriend about the communication lesson after class. We were able to talk about addiction and its impact. It was a good discussion.” 
 
-Female Participant, 17
RESOURCES
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides support groups, recovery classes, and free education, like their 6 week course for teens called NAMI Utah’s Progression. 
Did you know? Free classes are offered for singles, couples, parents, and blended families along the Wasatch Front! Anyone can sign up at HealthyRelationshipsUtah.org 
Funding for this program was provided by the OPA Grant: TP1AH000232. Additional support was provided by Utah State University Extension. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the presenters/authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders. Utah State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution and is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination, including harassment. For USU’s non-discrimination notice, see
‌