Social media hurts other people, not me, say US teens | WARC | The Feed

Social media hurts other people, not me, say US teens

Just 9% of US teens think social media has had a (mostly) negative effect on them personally, but that share rises to 32% when the same question is framed about their peers, a Pew Research Center survey finds.

Why it matters

Parents tend to worry more about the impact of social media on children than the children themselves do. Teens (aged 13-17) are aware of the downsides of social media but most don’t expect to be on the receiving end of unpleasant behavior. A majority believe that the impact of social media on them personally has been either mostly positive (32%) or neutral (59%).

That attitude is also reflected in the finding that while 60% of teens feel like they have little to no control over their personal information on social media, 44% also have little or no concern about how much these companies might know about them.

The positives 

• 80% say that what they see on social media makes them feel more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives.
• 71% say it makes them feel like they have a place where they can show their creative side
• 67% say these platforms make them feel as if they have people who can support them through tough times.

The negatives

• 38% say they feel overwhelmed by all the drama they see on social media (45% among girls, 32% among boys).
• 31% say social media has made them feel like their friends are leaving them out of things (37% vs 24%). 
• 29% have felt pressure to post content that will get lots of likes or comments (27% vs 32%). 
• 23% say these platforms make them feel worse about their own lives (28% vs 18%).

Sourced from Pew Research Center

[Image: Bruno Gomiero on Unsplash]