Conducted in partnership with The Social Institute, an organization dedicated to helping young people navigate the digital landscape, the program enabled students to explore everything from the potential negative mental health aspects of social media to the spread of misinformation and extremist movements.

After participating in an illustrative concentration exercise (interrupted by constant notifications), some students felt that social media can be a barrier to staying focused on things like completing homework.“The constant pings and notifications on your phone definitely contribute to a diminishing of your willpower to stay engaged with a more important task,” said Barner Konvicka '23. 

Ford Clark '23 found “The Social Dilemma” helpful in terms of learning about social media algorithms and the goals of certain digital tools. “It was definitely an eye-opener. I knew that algorithms existed, but a key concept that I learned from this is that ‘you are the product’ and that it’s set up to keep you coming back.” 

Eighth graders were also reflective or thoughtful. Wally Jones '25 didn’t realize how sophisticated the algorithms were and how they can be tailored to fit different geographic or political user demographics. “I didn’t realize that Google search results will show me different results for certain topics depending on where I am. That’s crazy!” 

“I hope that our students use this as an opportunity to be more mindful,” said John Green, Upper School dean of students. “I think the faculty are doing a great job of presenting ideas for the guys to think about. It’s not about good vs. bad, it’s just about being more aware.”