In one of his recent posts, Finnish Medical Doctor and Health & Science Communicator Dr. Antti Rintanen presents recent evidence and discusses how movement and cognitive interventions, including the ones based in the arts, can give adolescents a more active, stimulating way to engage with the digital world and social media, compared to passive scrolling. The post is entitled ‘Art-Based Interventions for Social Media: 6 Powerful Ways Creativity Can Transform Teen Engagement‘, and can be read here.
Header image used at Dr. Antti’s blog page for the aforementioned article-post
In this clearly written article-post, Dr. Rintanen describes recent studies and intervention programs that leverage creativity to improve digital literacy and mental health in youth. Among the examples he gives in the text, he mentions and beautifully sumarizes our project, SMART. In line with our hypotheses and goals, Dr. Rintanen suggests that creating art pieces from scratch provides an internal satisfaction independent from the external ‘likes’ that are so common in the social media platforms consumed by teenagers, and that practicing this creative and artistic activities may counteract the addictive component of social media by enhancing the connection with self-driven rewards.
We appreciate very much the interest and effort that Dr. Rintanen shows in writing this informed post, stating the importance of this innovative line of research that tries to use creativity and the arts to improve adolescent’s wellbeing and deal with health challeges associated with the digital world.
Dr. Rintanen is a medical doctor but also a former martial arts champion. That is one of the reasons he is interested in communicating the potential of physical activity and cognitive stimulation to improve our wellbeing. In his science and health popularization blog, The Internet Doctor | Dr. Antti, he writes about mental health, movement, nervous-system regulation, and digital wellbeing, often exploring how body-based strategies and small daily habits can support resilience in a hyperconnected world. Thanks for the great work, Dr. Rintanen!
Screenshot of Dr. Antti’s blog home page
Social Media Artistic tRaining in Teenagers (SMART) 