PREPARED BY: Comprehensive Health Promotion

DATE: 2026-05-14

SUBJECT: Connected Not Controlled

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Digital technology plays an integral role in the daily lives of children and youth offering both benefits and risks to mental health and well-being. While healthy digital use can support social connection, access to information, and learning opportunities, research links excessive screen use to negative outcomes such as anxiety, depression, chronic stress, low self-esteem, reduced physical activity, poorer sleep, and increased sedentary behaviour. Locally, a high proportion of youth spend multiple hours per day on screens, with many not meeting physical activity or sleep recommendations, and certain groups experiencing higher social media use.

Promoting digital literacy is key to reducing these negative impacts and supporting balanced technology use. Educating youth about healthy online behaviours, critical thinking, and digital citizenship helps them navigate digital spaces safely and responsibly. Involvement from parents and educators is essential, as role modelling healthy screen habits and using strategies such as family media plans and screen-free times can help prevent and address problem technology use, supporting overall well-being and healthier relationships with technology. In response to increasing concerns, the WECHU Board of Health passed resolutions in February and March of 2026, aimed at improving the digital technology habits of children and youth and increasing their safety when accessing social media and online spaces.

As an outcome of the Board of Health resolutions, the WECHU in collaboration with youth, and with support of our local school boards, launched the Connected, Not Controlled Challenge (CNC). In its second year, the purpose of the CNC Challenge is to provide WEC students in grades 6 to 12 with an opportunity to use their voice to learn about and raise awareness of how the use of digital technology can affect youths’ well-being. Providing youth with evidence-based facts and strategies to balance the use of technology can help them make informed and healthy decisions. Students were challenged to create and submit a 30 second Public Service Announcement (PSA) video that included at least one key message about digital technology use and one call to action.

DISCUSSION

The submission period for the Connected, Not Controlled Challenge (CNC) took place from March 1^st to March 31^st. To promote the challenge the WECHU worked with local school board to disseminate information and WECHU staff conducted lunch and learns at secondary schools focused on providing information about the contest and raising awareness about balancing screen time. The challenge received 57 video submissions (32 for the grade 6 to 8 category and 25 for the grade 9 to 12) totaling 129 participating students. A total of 32 youth judges participated in scoring the qualified videos over 3 sessions. Videos were scored using 8 a question rubric focused on the messaging and quality of the videos. The top five scoring videos from each category were then selected for public voting which will take place from April 27^th to May 4^th. The winning videos and schools will be announced on May 7th, 2026. Prizes will then be awarded to students for the top three voted videos in both the elementary (grade 6 to 8) and secondary (grade 9 to 12) divisions, and to the publicly funded elementary and secondary school with the highest participation rates.

The WECHU will use the winning videos to raise awareness of the impact of digital technology use on youths’ well-being and promote resources for balancing screen time. You can find more information about the challenge on the Connected, Not Controlled Challenge web page.