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August 2024
 Minnesota Partnership for Adolescent and Young Adult Health (MNPAH) is an action plan to guide adolescent and young adult health in Minnesota. This collaboratively developed plan was created to motivate, engage, and inspire action. It recognizes the important contributions and amazing ideas that exist across our great state. Each month this newsletter will highlight a priority from the plan and showcase an adolescent health partner in Minnesota.
In this edition
Encourage safe, balanced, and intentional technology use while promoting digital safety and wellbeing.
In 2022, 46% of teens reported they use the internet almost constantly, up from 24% who said the same in 2014-15. Teens’ media landscape has changed. Nearly all teens – 95% – now have access to a smartphone.
Young people are spending an increasing amount of time in a digital environment where they live, learn, play, and socialize with others. Social media has become a widely influential part of young people’s lives. A 2023 U.S. Surgeon General report notes that because “adolescence is a vulnerable period of brain development, social media exposure during this period warrants additional scrutiny.” In 2024, the Minnesota attorney general issued a report on emerging technology and its effects on youth wellbeing. The report raises concerns such as bullying and harassment, biased algorithms, and privacy concerns. The report also shares what we know about protecting youth online and provides policy recommendations.
Growing up in a digital environment provides new challenges that previous generations have not seen. The partnership supports families and advocates in creating digital wellbeing and safety for young people to make online environments safer and promote balanced technology use.
Action Steps:
- Equip parents and caregivers with the tools necessary to create a family media
plan and model balanced technology use.
- Promote digital wellbeing resources so that school and youth programs can implement digital wellbeing resources for students and educators.
- Provide professional development opportunities to equip educators, youth workers, and other caring adults with tools and resources to facilitate digital wellbeing discussions with young people.
- Support mental and physical health care providers to have conversations with young people about safe, balanced, and intentional technology use.
- Advocate for technology use questions to be included in the Minnesota Student Survey.
- Engage and partner with young people to develop ideas and solutions to enhance digital wellbeing.
- Promote awareness of the need for digital wellbeing through effective health communication strategies.
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Equipping digital wellbeing leaders and trainers
LiveMore ScreenLess upholds a holistic approach to youth thriving that centers around digital wellbeing. LiveMore ScreenLess equips and trains adults to partner with young people so they can experience and lead digital wellbeing.
Technology and digital media use is interwoven into our lives. While it has benefits that enhance our lives, it also has potential to negatively impact learning and wellbeing. Digital wellbeing recognizes this paradox and is focused on establishing balanced, intentional, and responsible use of technology that minimizes the negative effects.
School and out-of-school programs have the opportunity to facilitate students’ journey toward digital wellbeing. LiveMore ScreenLess’ digital wellbeing training programs provide the tools, resources, and skills for creating space for students to build connection, conversation, and community around their digital media use. Digital wellbeing facilitated conversations provide opportunities for young people to share their digital media experiences in community that in turn can reduce isolation and activate a leadership journey with adult partners guiding and supporting them.
LiveMore ScreenLess provides an evidence-based, positive youth development approach to conversations and leadership for digital wellbeing.
Health educators and youth professionals: LiveMore ScreenLess is actively training trainers. The first Train-the-Trainer cohort launches Aug. 29 with monthly training cohort opportunities to follow.
For more information visit the LiveMore ScreenLess website.
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August is National Immunization Awareness Month
National Immunization Awareness Month highlights the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. Together, we can help raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations and encourage people to talk to a healthcare provider they trust about staying up to date on their vaccinations. Parents and other caring adults in adolescents’ lives can support and encourage young people to have an annual well visit and talk to their provider about immunizations.
If you are a provider, you can use CDC resources to help you discuss vaccinations with your patients and parents during National Immunization Awareness Month and throughout the year.
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The statewide health assessment executive summary is now available in six languages
The executive summary and letter from the commissioner are now available in English, Hmong, Karen, Somali, Spanish, and Russian on the Minnesota Statewide Health Assessment webpage. Additionally, a short video describing what the assessment is and how it can be used by various audiences is now available on the Minnesota Statewide Assessment Playlist (YouTube) in American Sign Language, English, Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.
The Minnesota Statewide Health Assessment tells the story of health in Minnesota and how conditions across the state allow its citizens to live healthy lives. The assessment was released by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership earlier this year.
Health priorities survey: Help shape the next statewide health improvement plan!
The Healthy Minnesota Partnership is conducting a survey through Aug. 22 to help identify health priorities for the next statewide health improvement framework. This survey is an opportunity to share health topics important to you and help the Partnership prioritize its efforts over the next four years. The survey is anonymous and takes 10 minutes or less to complete. An English and Spanish version is available at the Healthy Minnesota Partnership webpage. Please email your questions to health.healthymnpartnership@state.mn.us.
New Minnesota outdoor air quality guidance for schools and child care
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) created outdoor air quality guidance in a collaborative effort to work alongside schools and child care facilities statewide to lower the risk of negative impacts to children’s health due to poor air quality events. The provided recommendations are to help schools and staff determine when and how to adjust outdoor physical activities when air quality starts to reach unhealthy levels. Schools and child care centers can use it as a tool when making decisions around balancing healthy outdoor activities that keep children active against the potential harms of poor air quality. This guidance is intended for professionals, providers, and others working with children in schools and various child care facilities.
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