Award shortlist teacher’s social media warning

Social media is making many young people anxious that they are “missing out”, according to a UK teacher in the running to win a million-dollar teaching prize.

Raymond Chambers, 30, said he is concerned about the impact of youngsters spending large amounts of time on their phones, checking what their friends are doing.

He said too much time on social media can affect young people’s mental wellbeing, and if he takes home the third annual Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize this weekend, he wants to use the £810,000 winnings to help youngsters navigate the digital age.

Mr Chambers, a computer science teacher at Brooke Weston Academy in Corby, Northamptonshire, is one of 10 finalists up for the accolade, which will be awarded at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mr Chambers told the Press Association: “What I’ve been noticing around the country and in the media is that a lot of students and young people are getting anxiety because of the amount of time they spend online and on social media. It’s a fear of missing out.

“They’ll say things like, ‘I just need to check my phone because I need to know what’s going on’.”

Social media can be a force for good, Mr Chambers said – such as viral events to raise awareness for a charity – but he added: “It can start to become negative if people use it all the time just because it’s there.”

He wants to use the money to help young people learn the skills they will need in the workplace, which can be lost by spending too much time online.

Mr Chambers said: “People don’t communicate any more. If you go to a restaurant, they’re not talking to each other, they’re on their phones.

“We’ve got to make students ready for when they finish school, and if they can’t hold a conversation then they’re going to fall apart in a job interview.”

Another day, another warning over the impact of social media use on young people.

Many youngsters are apparently becoming anxious they are “missing out” as they spend their days constantly checking what their friends and peers are doing.

Teacher Raymond Chambers is not the first to warn over the impact of excessive social media use, yet there remain precious few answers.

As any parent these days will know, the battle to lure a son or daughter away from iPads, phones or computers is one not easily won.

Mr Chambers fears the art of communication is being lost. Of course young people would counter that communication these days merely takes different forms. Perhaps chatting to one another on virtual forums through the use of emojis is every bit as valid as the deep and meaningful face-to-face conversations of our youth.

What appears to cripple many young people, however, is the fear of missing out.

Presumably the risk of missing some “vital” piece of gossip is just too great and so they remain almost surgically attached to their electronic devices. It is hard not to have some sympathy – nobody wants to be the only person not to know some interesting piece of news.

The great irony, of course, is that by remaining plugged in all hours of the day and night, young people are missing the opportunity to live life for themselves.

Finalist: Raymond Chambers.