Video Series: Growing Up in Cyberspace
"Growing Up in Cyberspace" is an 11-episode video series designed to help parents, grandparents, teachers, and educators understand and address the challenges young people face in a digital world. Hosted by youth culture specialist Paul Robertson, the series explores how screens and technology influence children’s development, relationships, and worldview while offering insights on guiding them toward healthy screen habits.
By blending research, personal stories, and expert perspectives, the series emphasizes the transformative impact of cyberspace and equips adults with practical tools to support the next generation.
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Growing Up in Cyberspace (English)
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Episode 01: Welcome to Cyberspace
This episode introduces the concept of cyberspace, exploring its vast influence on youth behavior and how parents and caregivers can guide children to navigate it safely.
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Episode 02: Old Instincts in a New World
Paul examines how instincts shaped for the real world fail in cyberspace, highlighting the dangers of blurred boundaries and the lack of rules online, particularly for young people.
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Episode 03: The Power of Persuasive Technology
This episode delves into persuasive technology, revealing how platforms manipulate user behavior to maximize engagement and providing tips to identify and mitigate unhealthy screen habits in teens.
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Episode 04: Psychology Used to Be My Friend (Girls)
This episode explores how persuasive technology exploits girls' deep social needs, leading to issues like self-image struggles, online aggression, social media addiction, and unhealthy relationships, ultimately contributing to anxiety, depression, and digital isolation.
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Episode 05: Psychology Used to Be My Friend (Boys)
This episode examines how gaming companies exploit boys' psychological need for mastery and control, leading to addiction, defiance, and detachment from real-life experiences
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Episode 06: The Dopamine Tickle
This episode examines how dopamine-driven psychological mechanisms make online gaming and social media addictive, keeping young people engaged in a cycle of anticipation, reward, and compulsion.
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Episode 07: Designed to Addict
This episode examines how online games, endless searches, and social media exploits dopamine-driven behaviors to keep users compulsively engaged with their screens.
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Episode 08: Why Smartphones are So Irresistible
This episode explores the irresistible nature of smartphones, explaining how their design and psychological triggers lead to addictive behaviors, and offers tips for managing phone use.
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Episode 09: 7 Healthy Screen Habits
This episode provides seven healthy screen habits that can help families create a balanced relationship with technology, including strategies for managing children's screen use and fostering real-world connections.
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Episode 10: The Creation of a Cyberself
This episode examines the creation of a "cyberself" through selfies and social media, highlighting its impact on identity development and the psychological consequences of managing an online persona.
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Episode 11: The Impossible Pursuit of a Perfect Selfie
This episode examines the damaging psychological effects of the pursuit of the "perfect selfie," focusing on the pressures faced by teenage girls and offering advice on how to counteract these issues.
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Meet Your Instructor
Paul Robertson
Paul Robertson is the Youth Culture Specialist for Youth Unlimited (Toronto Youth for Christ) with over 46 years of experience working with youth, including raising four sons.
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario with degrees in Arts and Education, Paul taught high school for five years before joining Youth Unlimited, where he has served for 43 years.
Paul has spoken extensively across Canada and the U.S., done numerous media appearances, and written articles on youth culture. He collaborates with Walt Mueller at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding and has presented his "Understanding Today’s Youth" seminars to thousands of parents, educators, social workers, and civic leaders.
Married to Marg for 47 years, Paul is the proud father of four grown sons and grandfather to seven grandchildren.
Course FAQ
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Yes, we have created a discussion guide for each episode. These questions can be downloaded as a PDF and printed out to be used.
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Each episode is between 10-15 minutes in length.
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Yes. We have translated the series into Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
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The series explores the impact of digital technology and social media on young people's identity formation, mental health, and overall well-being. Through expert insights, the episodes delve into how online environments shape self-perception, social interactions, and developmental stages, especially for teenagers growing up in the digital age.
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The series is primarily aimed at parents, educators, youth leaders, and mental health professionals who wish to understand the digital influences on the younger generation. It is also beneficial for teens themselves to reflect on their digital lives and how these influence their sense of self.
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The series covers a wide range of topics related to the digital lives of young people, including:
The creation of the "cyberself" through selfies and social media.
The psychological and social effects of digital technology, including issues like perfectionism, anxiety, and self-esteem.
The role of social media in shaping relationships, self-image, and identity.
Practical tips for navigating social media healthily, and how adults can support young people in the digital space.
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Personal Fable: A concept from adolescent psychology where teens view themselves as the center of attention and believe they are unique and special, often leading to a distorted sense of reality.
Perfectionist Presentation: The tendency to present an idealized version of oneself online, hiding imperfections and seeking social approval.
Maladaptive Perfectionism: The unhealthy pursuit of flawlessness, driven by fear of failure and the need to appear perfect, which leads to anxiety and stress.
Anorexia of the Soul: A metaphorical concept describing the emotional emptiness that can result from excessive focus on appearance and the curated self in the digital world.
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The series offers several practical tips for parents, educators, and caregivers:
Encourage young people to take breaks from social media and reduce screen time.
Promote self-love and body positivity to counter the negative impact of social media on self-image.
Foster face-to-face communication and real-life relationships to provide balance and emotional support.
Help young people understand that perfection is unattainable and that self-worth is not dependent on social media validation.
Reward positive behaviors that help break the addiction to social media, such as taking breaks or engaging in offline activities.
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The series offers actionable advice that can be applied by:
Setting boundaries around social media use and modeling healthy digital habits for teens.
Supporting the development of a strong offline identity, encouraging hobbies, interests, and relationships that are not tied to digital validation.
Having open discussions with young people about the pressures they face online and providing reassurance that their worth is not tied to their online persona.