HBOW 2023 Conference
Healthy Behaviours in an Online World 2023 was on March 29th, 2023!
This year’s conference was entirely online through pre-recorded presentations and live Q&A sessions led by student researchers at Huron University College.
Check out the topics and see the presentations!
Featured Q&A
and Speakers
It’s Not Your Fault: How TikTok is Designed to Captivate the Adolescent Brain
Presenters: Tess Blake, Kate Hull, Niamh Carey, Zhongying Sun, Shaliza Manji
The adolescent brain is at a unique stage of development (Casey et al., 2011). As a result, when faced with potential reward behaviors, such as scrolling on Tik Tok, teens’ brains are biased towards engaging in these behaviours. Tik Tok and other social media companies not only are aware of this but rely and capitalize on it. Let us give you some strategies to give you the upper hand. In our presentation, we will first be uncovering what is specifically happening in the adolescent brain and discussing how this contributes to teens’ unique difficulty in stopping scrolling behavior on Tik Tok (and Instagram and Snapchat). We will then review simple strategies you can use to transform mindless scrolling into mindful and meaningful engagement
with social media.
Your Digital Legacy: Creating a
Positive Digital Footprint
Presenters: Maya Lyon-Brown, Manelle McInroy, Katie Flannery, Ella Benzie, Sarah Bradfield
In today’s digital age, how we portray ourselves on the internet is more important than ever. What we leave behind, referred to as our digital footprint, is out there forever. This may sound daunting, but it is important to remember that we can leave behind positive footprints.
In this presentation, we will go into depth regarding internet hygiene to help you leave behind a positive digital footprint. What kind of online activity is viewed as negative? How do we not only avoid these negative posts, but engage with social media in a positive way? By offering strategies to create a positive footprint, we hope to create positive digital legacies across social media platforms.
Can We Use TikTok for Good? A Look at the Positive Uses of Social Media
Presenters: Lidia Moonsammy, Agnesa Berisha, Alexis Rodgers, Khalilah Tang
How can we make social media use a positive force for teens? Although it is important that teens are made aware of the negative effects of social media, this discussion dives into how social media can be used positively in your life when looking forward to your future. This discussion will get into how social media can help to build your personal brand and how teens can cultivate community through social media. The presentation will provide ways to use social media more effectively and maintain positive internet behaviours.
The Power of the Like Button: How Social Media Keeps Us Hooked
Presenters: Dylan Kiidumae, Lewa Babalola, Malaika Vesavevela, Jiayue Jiang
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to get off Instagram, or why time seems to fly while on Tik Tok? App developers design new ways to attract teens onto their apps and stay on them. This habit building will be discussed, as well as some consequences of continuous use of social media. Learn the tricks of the trade and how these apps keep us hooked!
