Are there Benefits to Social Media Use?
Many parents see social media as entirely bad and dangerous for their children. They are worried about the amount of time that their children spend on social media. No doubt, there are both negative and positive effects of social media on youth and many risks involved, but is there any positive use as well? Everyone knows that the landscape of social media is changing. But did you know that TikTok is now more popular than Facebook? 67% of teens say they use TikTok, with 16% use it daily. Use of Facebook plummeted to 32% and YouTube increased to 95% users. TikTok use is followed by Instagram and Snapchat and other platforms with smaller shares such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Reddit and Tumblr (Pew Research, 2022).
If you have a teenager in your home, you know how difficult it is to make them give up social media. 54% of teens themselves say it is difficult to give up social media. If you coerce your teen to give up social media, they may go behind your back. Coercion and forcing does not work. Nearly every teen in 2022 has access to a smartphone in the US. Social media is everywhere.
You can see that there is no escape from social media. Youth in virtually every culture is exposed to information on almost any topic: Relationships, sex, drugs, appearance, popularity, friendships and more. Online information is consumed in bits of seconds and decisions on posting are made with the click of a key without much planning or thinking of any further consequences.
So the question is: “What are the effects of social media on our youth?” Are there actually any positive effects on our youth?”
Or is it all bad?
As I was thinking about this, I did some research and found the following answers:
Positive Identities
Social Media can be used to form a positive identity in your teenager. However, finding the right social media is the key for a positive identity formation. And here you can help your teenager. You can help that they find likeminded online communities and actually enjoy those platforms. Here they can find friends, participate in various social events, discuss values, and create a feeling of belonging through like-mindedness and similar values of living and lifestyle. And once your teenagers are on those positive online communities, you can relax and encourage family discussion on issues of interest which they have found on social media.
Importance of Social Comparisons
Being a teenager means to think about one’s identity day and night. And social comparison is one of the means in doing so. There are some good role models in social media that serve well in identity formations. Social comparisons form a large part of an identity as a teenager. They help in decision making, status negotiations, feeling inspired, regulating emotions, expressing self, increasing self-esteem, and finding support from online communities.
School Work
Teenagers notice other’s examples of writing, academic performances, and skills as they have exposure to diverse audiences from many countries and cultures. There are opportunities for online friendships and emotional support and creation of identity and feelings of belongingness. Social media allows teenagers to share and talk about many topics at rapid rates that would be less likely in a classroom setting. Social media facilitates comparison of self and others with respect to opinions, values, interests, and beliefs.
In sum, social media can have any benefits, if it is used in the right manner and on topics that are commensurate with your family’s values and lifestyle.
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