Mental health professionals get insight on teen social media use

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Shape the Sky Founder Ryan Klingensmith said his goal at a training session on teen social media and mental health usage trends training on Tuesday was to provide mental health professionals and parents the tools necessary to help children navigate the digital landscape.

“I try to get them to understand that you have to look at this differently,” he said. “You have to be involved in this.”

Klingensmith presented to a group of about 20 people at the Cambria County Academic Center in downtown Johnstown. The event was hosted by Behavioral Health of Cambria County.

The presentation included exposure through cellphones to the mental health world online for children under 18; introduction to adult themes at a young age; focusing on behaviors on apps versus controlling access; cyberbullying; preventing inappropriate contact with people online; teaching youth how to “keep the good, throw away the bad” of what they view; and more.

“We have to become seat belts for them,” Klingensmith told the group.

He’s worked in varying capacities with youth for about 30 years and developed this presentation as a way to help other mental health professionals and parents become more versed in the technology, apps and trends children are using and exposed to these days.

Klingensmith said he wants to provide them with the questions to ask and what to watch out for.

Rebecca Valle, county behavioral health training coordinator, said the offering was organized to help providers better help their clients, noting teen social media use is a growing concern in her industry.

“We just need everyone to be aware,” she added.

At the morning break, Nulton Diagnostic and Treatment Center clinical director of outpatient therapy Shawna Kosakowski was pleased with the presentation.

“I think it’s helpful to have the updated information about newer technology out there,” she said.

She noted that adults aren’t exposed to the same material as children and that social media algorithms can be tricky to navigate.

Kosakowski’s goal was to take the information she learned Tuesday back to the Nulton team, adding the only way to combat these societal issues is with training such as the one Klingensmith provides.

Throughout the presentation, Klingensmith relied on relatable anecdotes, images, statistics and short videos to emphasis his points.

Occasionally, the presenter would poll the audience on apps they use and inform them about apps they may not have known exist, such as those used for sending fake texts and communicating anonymously.

Patience Brank, a case manager at Merakey, said she appreciated the presentation and hoped to learn better ways to support the children she works with.

“Maybe even get more knowledge on how to teach them to be safe on the internet,” she said.

Brank works with children in foster care and said that profession requires a lot of support, especially for children and phone use.

She wanted to pass the information she learned on to parents as well, she said.