My Media Use

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.

My Media Use:
A Personal
Challenge

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP | GRADE 7

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.

Essential Question

What is your strategy for finding media balance?

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.

KEY VOCABULARY

Media

The means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, social media, Tik Tok, Youtube, video games, magazines, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely.

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.

What?

When?

What are the media you're
consuming (or creating)?

For example, are you watching a
movie? Searching for videos on
YouTube?

Playing online games?

What device(s) are you using to
consume (or create) the media?

When are you consuming
(or creating) the media?

What day of the week?

What time of day?

What else is happening at this
time (e.g., during dinnertime,
right after waking up in the
morning, etc.)?

How much are you consuming?

How long did you spend
consuming (or creating) the
media?

How often do you consume
the media?

What makes a healthy media plan for me?

How much?

Multiple Choice

When we think about our own media choices, we should consider:

• Who, what, when, where, and why

• 
  ​​​​​​Reading, writing, and arithmetic

• What, when, how much, and how we feel

Open Ended

What are some of the effects—positive and negative—of
media use? List as many as you can below.

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.

OBSERVE + ANALYZE IMAGE

Source: Center for Humane Technology, 2018.

What do you notice
in this graphic?

What stands out
to you?

Open Ended

1.) What do you notice in this graphic? Or what stands out to you?

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.

KEY VOCABULARY

Media balance

Using media in a way that feels healthy and in balance with other
life activities (family, friends, school, hobbies, etc.)

Open Ended

What signs might show that your media choices are out of balance?

Multiple Choice

Ravi is learning to play the guitar and hopes to be in a band someday. He watches videos of people playing song covers so he can learn from them, but he usually spends more time watching videos than practicing. Whenever he picks up his guitar, he feels a little frustrated. Why might Ravi consider taking a break from the videos?

• 
  ​​​​​​​He might feel less frustrated if he spends more time practicing.

• The videos are not helpful and might encourage him to learn a different instrument.

• He might be inspired to listen to a new artist.

Multiple Choice

Maya enjoys staying connected with friends on social media. Lately she's started to get a lot of notifications on her phone. Maya opens the app every time she sees a notification and is beginning to feel anxious about checking her friends' posts right away. What could Maya do to maintain a healthy media balance for herself?

• ​​​​​​​Maya could delete her account and never use social media again.

• Maya could respond to her friends' posts, telling them how annoying they are.

• 
  Maya could change her phone settings so she does not receive notifications that distract her.

Multiple Choice

Select the statement that describes healthy media balance?

• ​​​​​​​If you follow a healthy media-balance plan, you use digital media for one hour a day. 

• ​​​​​​​A media-balance plan may change over time as a person's interests and schedules change. 

• 
  ​​​​​​​The goal of a healthy media-balance plan is to use as little media as possible.

commonsense.org/education
Shareable with attribution for noncommercial use. Remixing is permitted.