Heads, deputies and pastoral leads from schools across the South East gathered at Cranleigh on March 8th to hear experts from the fields of neuroscience, mental wellness and adolescent psychology discuss the impact of technology on the mental health of teenagers. The conference brought together experts and educators with an interest in the impact of technology on teenage mental health, to share ideas and experiences, to learn from pioneering work going on in this area and to create a network of links. Held in partnership with leading mental health charity, The Charlie Waller Trust, the one-day conference featured keynote speeches and workshops. Further Information at: https://www.cranleigh.org/our-school/academics/resources/cranleigh-training/technology-teenage-mental-health-conference/

2. Young People Most at Risk
• Young women age 16-24 are the single largest category of
victims of domestic abuse
• 12.7% of women and 6.2% of men aged 16-19 have
experienced domestic abuse in the past year alone - Source:
British Crime Survey, 2016
• 33% of girls age 13-17 have experienced some form of
sexual abuse - Source: NSPCC, 2016
• Almost a third of teenage girls experiences unwanted
sexual touching at school - Source: YouGov, 2010
• 1/4 girls and 9% boys are clinically depressed by age 14 -
Source: UK govt study, 2017

3. Young people’s access to technology
• 83% 12-15 year olds have their own
smartphone
• 99% 12-15 year olds go online every week
• Average of 21 hours online per week
- Source: Ofcom, 2017

4. Where technology, mental health and
sexual bullying meet
• Over 1/2 of girls age 11-21 have come across
unwanted violent/graphic images online that made
them feel upset or disturbed -Source: Girlguiding, 2017
• 44% girls and 32% girls have sent sexual
images/messages to a partner - Source: NSPCC, 2015
• Over 40% of girls who sent them said their partner
shared them with others - Source: NSPCC, 2015
• Over 1/4 girls felt pressured by their partner to
send sexual images/messages - Source: NSPCC, 2015

5. Online imagery doesn’t exist in a vacuum

6. Facebook Domestic Violence Pages

7. Facebook Domestic Violence Pages

8. Facebook Rape Pages

9. ‘Lad’ Banter
• “85 per cent of rape cases go unreported.
That seems to be fairly good odds.”
• "Uni Lad does not condone rape without
saying ‘surprise’”
• “In case of pregnancy, consider
"performing an elbow drop on her vagina
right there and then", or "look around the
room for a chair or table I can smash onto
her stomach”.”

10. Social media treatment of women

11. Young people and body image

17. Online pornography
• A quarter of men aged 18-24 are worried about the
amount of porn they are watching on the internet -
Source: BBC/TNS, 2011
• 60% of young people say they were 14 or younger
when they first saw porn online and 25% were 12
or younger – Source: ICM, 2014
• 74% of young people felt porn particularly affected
young men’s expectations about sex -Source: ICM, 2014
• 50% of young men said they look online for porn
either every day or at least once a week – only 13%
said they never did. – Source: ICM, 2014
• A significant number of young people said they
watched porn to learn about sex – Source :ICM, 2014

18. Impact of pornography on sex &
relationships
• Stereotypes about bodies, women, men and sex (teen
labiaplasty doubled in past 2 years)
• Male-centric idea of sex via male gaze
• Misogynistic abuse, degradation, humiliation, violence
normalised
• Contributes to widespread confusion about consent
• Racist sexual stereotypes perpetuated
• Studies suggest impact of porn on teenage brain
development can make it harder to become
aroused/climax with a partner or through less extreme sex

19. Lack of Sex & Relationships Education
• 75% young people never learn about consent
• 95% don’t learn about LGBT relationships
• 97% don’t learn about gender identity
- Source: Terrence Higgins Trust
• 40% young people say sex ed bad or very bad
• 43% say they received none at all
-Source: UK youth parliament survey

20. What’s the Solution?
• Open, honest conversations with young people of all genders: both
at home and school (joined up approach between educators &
parents)
• Offsetting confusing messages from online porn with other
information about sexual consent & healthy relationships
• Great SRE most effective way to tackle online problems: these issues
are LINKED
• Tackling sexism, harassment & abuse with zero-tolerance, whole-
school approach
• Giving young people tools to challenge inequality themselves: letting
them be aware of airbrushing, online filters etc.

21. Starting these conversations can be simpler
than you think…

22. Useful advice must acknowledge the reality
of young peoples’ lives…