Grade 9 College Park students from left, Chloe Minish and Kaitlyn Cunningham pose for a photo with social medial speaker Madison Cameron (centre) along with Sofia Simpson. Cameron spoke to students at several public schools last week and to parents during an evening session at College Park School. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Words can cut like a knife for the younger generation virtually connected to social media and online devices 24/7.
Cyberbullying and body shaming put Madison Cameron into a mental state of self-harm when she was a teen growing up in Lethbridge.
“I had many conflicts as a kid, especially with body image in regards to cyberbullying and kids calling me fat and worthless,” said Cameron during a presentation at College Park School last Thursday.
The 26-year-old youth specialist at the Centre for Trauma-Informed Practices was invited to share her social media experiences with middle school students in the Lloydminster Public School Division.
“One of the things that really drew us to Madison was her realness. She is a successful young woman who has experienced lots of different things in her life,” said College Park principal, Josie Gordon.
“She acknowledges that social media use for students these days is simply a part of their life. It’s not really an option for us to tell kids ‘don’t use a phone or don’t go on social media.’”
Gordon says Cameron is “a great bridging connection” for students to know how to use it safely.
Cameron’s presentation is called Staying True to Yourself Through Social Media.
“These kids, whether they are using iPhones or apps, it’s always been a part of their world, so oftentimes, they don’t realize how much the devices can impact us on how we feel and what we value,” she said.
Cameron thinks kids are in over their heads trying to emulate what they are seeing on a screen without understanding, nothing on a screen is always as it seems to be.
“I can attest to that as a kid who went through social media pressures and would edit my photos and morph my body to look smaller than what it was,” said Cameron.
“I would do things to myself to try to fit the mold I was seeing on the screen.”
“I bared that weight for such a long time without going to my parents, who were always there. I tell kids all the time, ‘go to your parents or an adult you trust. They are there.’
“I went through a lot of things and it was difficult.”
Gordon calls her a leader who coaches basketball, is doing research in psychology and has worked with middle school students previously.
“Her energy and her honesty and experience were real draws to have her here,” said Gordon.
Cameron revealed she is nearly finished her degree in psychology at the University of Phoenix with a concentration on social media and technology.
“Now, I am travelling around Canada and getting to engage and collaborate with youth,” she said.
“I do get to talk to them about staying safe through social media and what that looks like.”
She tells kids one of the important things is being mindful of who they follow online and what they are following.
Cameron says some of the main dilemmas for kids on social media are body shaming, body image issues, kids struggling with identity crises and cyberbullying.
She says all of this makes it harder for kids to have the courage to use their voices.
“One thing that’s important to me is making sure I empower all kids to feel empowered they have voices worth hearing,” said Cameron.
She also recommends having a trusting adult they can go to.
Her message hit home with some Grade 9 students like Kaitlyn Cunningham.
“I found the presentation to be quite empowering, just from the aspect she started it off telling us how she struggled as a kid when she was our age,” said the teen.
“I would say she’s inspirational, that she shows you can push through anything.”
Cunningham’s classmate, Sofia Simpson, thought it was really good to hear first-hand from someone who has experienced stuff like cyberbullying on social media.
“She made me feel a lot more confident and how I can also speak out about it,” said Simpson.
Cameron also conducted an evening session at College Park for parents and guardians to find out how youth are feeling emotionally and mentally when using social media and how parents can support conversations at home about that as well.
