We all know teens spend most of their time on social media these days, but what they’re getting out of it is another story. Well, a new Pew Research poll set out to uncover what teens think are the benefits of social media, as well as the challenges they are facing on it, and you may be surprised by the results.
While adults may not see the positive side of their teens on social media, the poll finds that teens themselves see a lot of good that comes from it. In fact, 81% of teens age 13 to 17 say social media helps them feel more connected with friends, while 69% say it helps them interact with a more diverse group of friends. In addition, 68% say it makes them feel like they have a group of people who will support them when things get tough.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no negatives to social media. According to the survey, 45% of teens say they feel overwhelmed by the drama they encounter on social media, while 43% feel pressure to only post content that makes them look good to others, and another 37% feel pressure to post content to get likes and comments.
- As for what teens are posting most about, 49% say the main thing they share is their accomplishments, while 44% post about family and 34% post about their emotions or feelings. Other common topics of posts include:
- Dating life (22%)
- Personal problems (13%)
- Religious beliefs (11%)
- Political beliefs (9%)
- And while you may think that the only thing teens post is selfies, only 45% of teens say they often or sometimes post selfies, while only 16% say they post them often, and 26% say they never post them. Not surprisingly, girls are more likely to post selfies than boys (60% vs. 30%).
Source: Pew Research