Digital Curriculum from Annenberg Learner Complements the Debut of Powerful FX “Social Studies” Documentary Series by EmmyⓇ-Winning Director Lauren Greenfield
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024 — The Annenberg Foundation and Annenberg Learner today debuted an expansive suite of online resources to help parents and educators contend with the challenges of social media use and abuse among young people, and potentially prevent harm in their communities.
Designed for teachers and parents to use with young people, the educator-curated content will be available exclusively on Learner.org September 26, to align with the premiere of Social Studies, a documentary series by EmmyⓇ-winning director Lauren Greenfield airing on FX and next day on Hulu.
Annenberg Foundation Chairman, President and CEO Wallis Annenberg served as an executive producer on the series. In addition, the Annenberg Foundation is providing free, public access to the full Social Studies curriculum on Learner.org.
“Lauren Greenfield’s Social Studies documentary series takes a deep, unfiltered look at the impact of social media on today’s youth and mental health that is critical to combating its potential harms,” said Chairman, President and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation Wallis Annenberg. “We are proud to offer Annenberg Learner content to support educators and parents in talking to teens about difficult topics and situations that surface and can be inflamed online.”
The Social Studies curriculum covers concepts woven throughout the series — among them, Approval and Feedback Loops, Body Image, Sexual Exploitation, Attention/Distraction, Comparison/“FOMO”, Fame/Influence, Identity, Drug and Alcohol Use, Social Justice and more — in 12 modules offering activities, discussion guides and other content on technology and social media for use with middle and high school students. Additionally, parents and anyone caring for teens can download guides for discussing 11 related topics, with additional resources, at Learner.org/socialstudies.
“After documenting the stories of Social Studies, it was really important to me to build a curriculum and to make a parent guide to provoke discussion about the challenges facing teens today,” said Lauren Greenfield, Social Studies director and creator, who also originated its curriculum.
“In the series, it is clear that young people want and need a space to discuss how they are affected by social media. Rob Greenfield’s thorough and insightful curriculum is designed to facilitate these conversations at schools with peers and at home with parents. I could not have found a better partner than our executive producer Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation, with whom I have partnered on several museum exhibitions in the past. I am hoping the curriculum will be adopted in schools and used by parents across the country through Annenberg Learner, as we collectively try to address the mental health crisis amongst young people.”
“The Social Studies Annenberg Learner collaboration builds on my work to help youth today better understand digital media and the true impact of the Internet at individual and societal levels,” said Educator Rob Greenfield, Newton (Mass.) High School history and social science teacher and digital literacy coordinator who developed the curriculum. “Awareness can help students with their relationship with technology; in my and my students’ experiences, there was opportunity for more education on social media’s role and its effects on everything from cognition and relationships to democracy and disinformation.”
“For over 40 years, millions of educators have relied on Annenberg Learner’s extensive courses, workshops and materials covering traditional subject areas,” said Annenberg Learner Program Director Nati Rodriguez. “With the proliferation of social media use by children and young adults, we think it’s critical to add resources to support teachers and parents as they prepare youth for using social media responsibly. We are excited to add the Social Studies Curriculum to the Annenberg Learner library of free high-quality educational resources.”
About the Social Studies Curriculum
Social Studies resources are designed for teacher flexibility. Some lessons and activities can be incorporated into existing curricula, or excerpted and tailored to teachers’ specific disciplines and needs. The content can also be used as a complete lesson, as a foundation for new lessons, or as a homework assignment in some cases. Lessons and resources can be used together, in any order, wherever there is value for them. See the full list of topics at Learner.org/socialstudies.
About Annenberg Learner
Annenberg Learner is the Annenberg Foundation’s education division, created to advance excellent teaching in American schools. For more than four decades, Annenberg Learner has funded and distributed more than 100 multimedia courses and workshops to millions of K-12 and college teachers across disciplines.
About Social Studies
Filmed in Los Angeles over one academic school year, Social Studies features a diverse group of teens who open up their lives and phones to offer an intimate glimpse into how social media has reshaped childhood. From battling bullying, grappling with beauty standards and more, their compelling and relatable experiences go on a raw, visceral and urgent journey through the challenges of growing up in the digital era. Social Studies was created and directed by Lauren Greenfield (Generation Wealth, The Kingmaker, The Queen of Versailles, THIN) and has earned Common Sense Media’s Seal of Approval.
