Social media platforms are constantly changing, and teens have always been ahead of the curve. Do we know where our children ‘hang-out’ on the internet?
Many teen social media users say that social media often distracts them from other important things: Fifty-seven percent agree that using social media often distracts them when they should be doing homework, and 54 percent agree that it often distracts them when they should be paying attention to the people they’re with.
A large proportion of all teens (44 percent) say they get frustrated with their friends for being on their phones so much when they’re hanging out together. More than two-thirds (68 percent), regardless of whether they use social media themselves, agree with the statement “Social media has a negative impact on many people my age,” including 20 percent who “strongly” agree.
Nearly a third who own smartphones (29 percent) say they’ve been woken up by their phones during the night by a call, text, or notification. Many teens say digital obsession is a problem for their parents as well: Fully a third (33 percent) of teens say they wish their parents would spend less time on their devices, up from 21 percent in 2012.”
Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences sheds light on teens’ changing social media habits and why some kids are more deeply affected by — and connected to — their digital worlds.