The modern time’s young generations who have opened their eyes under the shadow of the technology boom are more likely to be obsessed with social media and become online media adults. According to the new study, plenty of fascinating details about teens using social media. Contemporary social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and many others are viral among teenagers. They spend most of their time on instant messaging apps and social media websites using their mobile phones connected to cyberspace.
Almost 95% of teens have access to smartphones, and 45% say they are online almost constantly. In addition, 71% of teenagers are using Facebook, and 52% are getting on Instagram and spending 2 to 5 hours daily, according to the Pew Research Center.
Moreover, a recent study from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Says the moment teens are online, they think about how they should present themselves. You may read this post and wonder what will happen to teens when they become adults. For example, when they spend almost five hours daily on online media apps and become social media teens, they become addicted to online media adults.
Teens make efforts to have a good internet presence.
A social media addiction they adopted when teens were just tweens, and they got cell phones and gadgets when they were pretty young. So, tween tweens genuine efforts to get a good internet presence when tweens become teens. When teens think about picking a few photos, activities, and particular links they post on social media apps and websites, they always want to share content that portrays them as fascinating and appreciated by others. However, to be a popular entity, being attractive to others is the critical agenda for young adults’ online decisions.
Teens are surprisingly thoughtful about revealing on social media
The bombardment of social messaging apps on the modern young generation teaches them they are very social with people online. But in reality, and it is a bitter truth having an obsession with the digital world, the question has arisen: Is social media making us unsocial, especially to our teens that spend hours and hours on it?
“Toda,y young teenagers are not just curious about postings on the digital world. On the other hand, they are surprisingly thoughtful about what they should select when they reveal on social media; Yau, a UCI Ph.D. candidate in education, stated that. “However, peer approval is necessary, especially when teens are in adolescence, more likely in the earlier stage of youth, so teens share content they make others impressed with, Yau further stated.
Teens are less concerned about whom they reveal on social media.
Teens are less concerned about the good and bad of social networking apps, and they reveal their privacy, such as names, contacts, photos, and videos, to other unknown users. They always feel the digital media is an opportunity to connect with friends and people. They not be closed and further where the problems start; they also connect with people they don’t know in real life. So, picking and choosing photos, filtering, and captioning have become very common among teens. Moreover, they don’t realize that such carelessness when sharing media and worlds with strangers may put them in real trouble.
Teen’s social media stats & online vulnerabilities
A) Majority of teens have smartphones & internet access
Almost 95% of teens have access to cell phones and the internet, and 88% of the young teen boys and girls have access to windows desktop and laptop computer machines & cell phones. However, 45% of teens constantly use the internet on their mobile phones and computer devices. Moreover, 24% of teens say they go online randomly to visit social networking apps, messages, and chat conversations. Out of 50%, constant social media users are teens. They are 39% of the total, surprisingly.
B) Majority of boys & Girls play online games
84% of teens have played online games on their cell phones and computer machines, and 90% say they play video games. However, a couple of online games have been linked to the children’s death, such as the terrifying new online game MoMo sweeps the web and the Blue whale game in particular. However, 92% of boys have access to a games console at home, and 97% of teenagers say they play video games in some fashion.
C) Teens and social media
85% of teens use YouTube & 72% are obsessed with Instagram. Moreover, Snapchat has gained massive popularity among teens, and 69% of teens use it all day long on their mobile phones connected to cyberspace. However, the popularity graph of Facebook has declined, but 50% of teens are still addicted to the use of Facebook.
Online vulnerabilities for teens due to social media
Young teens fascinate a lot with the use of the digital world without realizing that they may get involved in activities that can put them into trouble. Today teens use social messaging apps as dating apps and get involved in blind dates without knowing the speed of chatting with them online via text messages, chat conversations, audio and video conversations, and sharing media files such as photos and videos. Teen’s sneaky texting codes are also top-rated to convey a message to their boyfriend even in their parent’s presence and plan for real-life meetings or to share their feelings. Teens are mostly to get bullied online, trapped by stalkers, and willingly get engage online with sexual predators for uncommitted sexual means. In addition, several incidents have been reported where teens get trapped by online relationships with cyber predators.
Teens addicted to the digital world or teens being teens
None of the parents wants their teens to become addicted to social media. The artificial world is a hurdle for teens to deal with the real-life world. However, the question has arisen, does being a good parent it’s your responsibility to sneak into teens’ online activities? The answer is pretty simple and crystal clear whenever teens become addicted to anything, whether it is a digital world or something else. Parents should interfere directly or indirectly.
Furthermore, it is the parent’s responsibility to know everything about what their teens are up to. Parents should lurk and monitor social media activities or set parental control apps on their online activities before they become social media-addicted teens to social media-obsessed. You may have no way out but to be disappointed.
Sources:
https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/teens-mostly-use-social-media-for-one-specific-purpose
