Youth Toolkit

Everyone who uses social media deserves to know how it works.

Welcome

Our social media environment is broken. Want a roadmap to help fix it?

Integrating expertise across technology, mindfulness, and educational instruction, this interactive toolkit helps young people navigate — and push to change — a broken social media environment.

Each guide contains questions and activities that can be self-directed or worked through in a group or classroom setting. Each guide can be useful on its own, though they are best when used as a full curriculum. They are designed for educators to use with youth ages 13-25 but can be used by anyone to learn about these issues and to push for a humane, sustainable, and equitable future.

Issue Guides

The Attention Economy

Why do tech companies fight for our attention?

Learn about the economic factors and larger systems that drive tech companies to sell your attention and behavior to advertisers.

Persuasive Technology

How does technology use design to influence my behavior?

Learn how social media products subtly manipulate you to capture your attention and change your behavior.

Social Media & The Brain

Why is persuasive technology so hard to resist?

Explore the brain and behavioral science of how social media keeps us hooked.

Seeing the Consequences

Why do we need to change the system?

Understand the harms the attention economy and persuasive technology have produced, and why those harms are the result of a broken system.

Action Guides

Tell Your Social Media Story

How can our stories drive change?

Use journaling, storytelling, and writing prompts to understand the landscape of your social media usage.

Take Control of Your Social Media Use

How do I shift my use of technology for good?

Make a successful change in how you use technology by setting goals and working with others.

Imagine Humane Technology

How can technology operate for the common good?

Imagine the possibilities for humane technology by envisioning solutions that advance lasting, systemic change.

#mysocialtruth

Bring your voice to the movement.

I constantly refreshed my likes as they came in, spent hours reading and replying to comments and taking in other people's posts. I became obsessed with living what social media promotes as a worthwhile and perfect life.

For Educators

Teaching for Humane Technology

Change starts in your classroom

Get the most out of the Center for Humane Technology’s Youth Toolkit in your classroom.

We’d love to hear more about your experience with these resources. Send your thoughts.

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