Social media a boon or bane for teenagers?

Over a quarter of teens say they mainly use social media to share information about causes they care about, a figure that also increases with age. This is another sign growing numbers aren't willing to sit by the sidelines.

Social media is a big part of many teens' lives. A 2018 Pew Research Center survey of nearly 750 youths aged between 13 to 17-year-olds found that 45 per cent are online almost constantly and 97 per cent use a social media platform, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.

Social media allows teens to create online identities, communicate with others and build social networks. These networks can provide teens with valuable support, especially helping those who experience exclusion or have disabilities or chronic illnesses.

Teens also use social media for entertainment and self-expression. And the platforms can expose teens to current events, allow them to interact across geographic barriers and teach them about a variety of subjects, including healthy behaviours. Social media may be humorous or distracting, but provides a meaningful connection to peers and a wide social network that may even help teens avoid depression.

However, social media use can also negatively affect teens, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumour spreading, unrealistic views of other people's lives and peer pressure.

According to data, girls are not only as likely to exhibit confidence as boys, they're more likely to say they can do any job they want (57 per cent Vs 31 per cent) and that voicing their opinions is important (47 per cent Vs 42 per cent).

As things are, today's girls have the potential to overturn the gender gap. Research has shown that, compared to the increasing number of women entering male-dominated occupations, the number of men in female-skewed field remains very low.

Girls' minds may be changing thanks to effective messaging, but programs should also cater to boys, many of whom could be disincentivized from crossing gender barriers later on. Unlike adults, teens are more likely to say they mainly log onto social platforms to see influencer content than brand posts, which highlights the level of reach they've attained.

Influencer followers are often characterized as image-conscious and they're significantly more likely to say having the latest fashion is important. While celebrity culture has been linked to mental illness and materialism, its impact is often overstated. Most teens don't think social media is an accurate reflection of people's lives, so efforts to enhance kids' media literacy haven't been in vain.

In the current climate, traditional displays of luxury only threaten to drive a wedge between influencers and their young followers. Because of teens' impulsive natures, experts suggest that teens who post content on social media are at risk of sharing intimate photos or highly personal stories. This can result in teens being bullied, harassed or even blackmailed. Teens often create posts without considering these consequences or privacy concerns.

YouTube tops the 2022 teen online landscape among the platforms covered in the Center's new survey, as it is used by 95 per cent of teens. TikTok is next on the list of platforms that were asked about in this survey (67 per cent), followed by Instagram and Snapchat, which are both used by about six-in-ten teens. After those platforms come Facebook with 32 per cent and smaller shares goes to Twitter, Twitch, WhatsApp, Reddit and Tumblr.

Asked about the idea of giving up social media, 54 per cent of teens say it would be at least somewhat hard to give it up, while 46 per cent say it would be at least somewhat easy. Teen girls are more likely than teen boys to express it would be difficult to give up social media (58 per cent vs. 49 per cent). Conversely, a quarter of teen boys say giving up social media would be very easy, while 15 per cent of teen girls say the same. Older teens also say they would have difficulty giving up social media. About six-in-ten teens ages 15 to 17 (58 per cent) say giving up social media would be at least somewhat difficult to do. A smaller share of 13- to 14-year-olds (48 per cent) think this would be difficult.

Beyond just online platforms, the new survey finds that the vast majority of teens have access to digital devices, such as smartphones (95 per cent), desktop or laptop computers (90 per cent) and gaming consoles (80 per cent). And the study shows there has been an uptick in daily teen internet users, from 92 per cent in 2014-15 to 97 per cent today. In addition, the share of teens who say they are online almost constantly has roughly doubled since 2014-15 (46 per cent now and 24 per cent then).