“The State of Wellbeing” Symposium:

Scotch College in conjunction with South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), invited Dr Huu Kim Le to speak with 150 students from 15 Schools across Adelaide at “The State of Wellbeing”, a student focused Mental Health Symposium on Monday 26 September. He was joined by leading experts in positive psychology and wellbeing from Adelaide and internationally.

Opportunity for student collaboration

“The State of Wellbeing” event was an opportunity for Adelaide Year 9 student leaders to work with internationally recognised experts in the field of wellbeing. Dr Le spoke on issues relating to the effects of Internet Technology.

Screen Time and Switching Off

There was much interest from students in terms of “screen time”, problems associated with social media and student mental health. Many students reported that they felt they were spending “too much time” on screens and wanted better strategies on how to “switch off”. Students also revealed their concerns that they felt pressured to constantly “post up how much fun we are having on social media”.

Tips and Coping Strategies

“Teenagers need to have a toolbox of strategies to cope and remember that it is OK to ask for help.”

Dr Le enjoyed sharing his tips/coping strategies for positive mental health:

“Internet Games are a very effective way to cope with stress and get an instant hit of positive emotion. Our brains know that games give rewards from hundreds of hours of game play. However, gaming can become a problem if we rely on gaming as our only coping strategy. Teenagers need to have a toolbox of strategies to cope and remember that it is OK to ask for help. The more you practice and train yourself, the better you can deal with everyday challenges.”

 

“However, gaming can become a problem if we rely on gaming as our only coping strategy.”