The Positive Effects Of Social Media On Teenagers

Full article: https://familyinsights.net/advice/positive-effects-of-social-media-on-teenagers/ (website no longer exists)

By Robyn Treyvaud
Nov 23 2017
 

• 68% of teenagers claim that social media provides them with support during difficult times

• 46% of teenage girls agree that social media empowers them to speak out about the things they care about

• 83% of teenagers say that social media makes them feel more connected to their friends

• Social media does not make all teenagers feel worse about their own lives

• The majority of teenagers do not feel pressured to post images or content on social media that makes their life look good to other people

• Most teenagers do see social media as a positive space that provides them with comfort and support

​Spreading Kindness & Social Awareness
A teenager’s desire to discover new information, explore new ideas, express themselves, and be interconnected has a profound impact on their social media engagement. They use various social networking sites, especially Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as a way of giving voice to the voiceless. They can do this through starting awareness pages for minority groups, or advocating equal rights through posting or sharing supportive messages. 

Educational Benefits
Teenagers use social media platforms such as Facebook in order to complete collaborative assignments. It provides a space for them to share and discuss ideas, plan and delegate tasks, and upload and provide feedback on completed works. 

Real World Skills
During adolescence, children are being prepared for tertiary education and their eventual integration into the workforce, and this requires a strong understanding of responsible online behaviours and an ability to constructively contribute within a collaborative online space.

Enhancing Creativity
Social media refers to online services that enable users to connect with other users, and create and share content. One of the positive effects of social media on teenagers is that it encourages them to think outside of the box and exercise creativity in how they engage with their audience and friends.

Tolerance & Diversity
Social media not only allows but encourages teenagers to connect with other teenagers from different cultural, lingual, religious, and ethnic backgrounds - and explore a range of diverse ideas. This broadens teenagers’ scope of reference and teaches them tolerance.