Altamont School senior Emma Lembke is asking her peers to log off.
She isn’t so much asking her fellow students to log off the internet as to rethink the way they use social media. Through the global movement Log Off, Lembke seeks to start a conversation to help other kids like her navigate both the positives and negatives of the social media realm.
The first iteration of Log Off was born through Lembke’s Miree project, which is conducted through Altamont’s C. Kyser Miree Ethical Leadership Center and seeks to help students express leadership and empower them to serve their communities.
For the project, Lembke researched the negative effect of social media on her own mental health.
“The constant bombardment with a never-ending feed worsened my anxiety and left me instilled with unrealistic expectations for my life,” Lembke said.
Now, Log Off has grown into a global movement with a Teen Leadership Council made up of 30 teens from 13 countries.
Through a variety of materials – podcast episodes, blog posts, a character education curriculum and digital detox challenges – the movement is generating a dialogue to promote healthy social media use and shed light on the many facets of the social media world.
Lembke recently was featured in two outlets: a national video called “Pro Social Media Teens vs. Anti Social Media Teens” for a series called Middle Ground, through Jubilee Media; and an interview by Bridge Street, a TV news show in Syracuse, New York.
Her video for Middle Ground compares and contrasts the viewpoints of young people on opposite sides of the social media spectrum. Participation in the video shoot was a high school highlight for Lembke. It was shared with Jubilee Media’s community of more than 5 million subscribers.
“As a young child, I dreamed of moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and singing career. Although my career aspirations have shifted, the opportunity to be in front of cameras to speak about an issue of the utmost importance to me was exhilarating,” said Lembke.
This experience gave her the opportunity to listen to other participants’ stories that contrasted with her own. Five other teens from across the nation participated in the video.
“As a digital wellness advocate, I speak with children and adults about the ways that social media has impacted them,” which she said usually was negatively. “It is imperative that I heard these positive stories because social media is in fact a multifaceted entity. After this experience, I will work harder to spread digital consciousness and awareness while simultaneously celebrating the beneficial aspects of the apps.”
She also was interviewed this week by Bridge Street, a television news show in Syracuse. During the interview, she mentioned that social media is a double-edged sword.
“It’s imperative that teens start to discuss healthier social media habits in order to mitigate its harm on teens’ mental health,” she said.
Lembke’s hope for Log Off is that it will serve as a catalyst for change and a platform to highlight young voices. To learn more, visit logoffmovement.org.
— Emily Williams-Robertshaw
