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Max Stossel, Founder of Social Awakening, Visits SLS and New Canaan Community
In April, Max Stossel, the founder of Social Awakening and the Youth & Education Advisor for the Center for Humane Technology, came to New Canaan to speak with St. Luke’s Upper School students, parents and guardians, and the greater New Canaan community about the impact and addictive nature of social media.
On Friday, April 5, the Upper School participated in a special assembly with Max titled "We've Been Sneaking Into Your Brains,” which provided students with strategies for managing and reducing the impact of social media. As a former media strategist and Silicon Valley app notification creator, Max used his real-world experience and dynamic personality to connect and engage with our students — even through the earthquake!
Students said Max’s "blend of humor and information made it especially engaging and compelling; he was super cool" and "I think we should get speakers like him more often." One student commented, "He was engaging, and instead of talking about studies and statistics the whole time, he connected his presentation to what he experienced when working for a social media company. He also had empathy for us. It was nice that he understood how social media could be very hard to navigate with the addiction to scrolling rather than being someone who just said, 'Here's how to fix this.'"
On the night before the Upper School assembly, St. Luke's partnered with New Canaan CARES, New Canaan Public Schools, and New Canaan Country Day School to bring families and the greater New Canaan community together to hear Max Stossel’s presentation “Social Media and Your Kids” at Saxe Middle School. This critical community conversation taught parents and caregivers how social media is designed to be addictive and offered them tools to limit its negative impact on their children.
Max Stossel shared some effective strategies for students, parents/guardians, and community members to limit social media and technology use. His digital handouts are available here:
“We are excited to work with New Canaan CARES to participate in community-wide conversations and support our families,” shared Kari Olsen, St. Luke’s Director of Well-Being & Academic Support. “We look forward to planning with them in the future.”
For photos from Max’s visit, please click here.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
